Is Upper East Side Safe? Manhattan Livability, Crime & Rent
Upper East Side scores 7.6: a transit-rich, tree-dense neighborhood with few housing violations, offset by distant parks.
Upper East Side at a glance
- Borough
- Manhattan
- Livability score
- 7.6/10
- Borough rank (NYC Open Data guides)
- #1 of 33
- Safety verdict
- Safer Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 3,230
- ZIP codes
- 10128 (29%), 10028 (21%), 10021 (19%), 10065 (19%), 10075 (11%)Share of residential units, NYC PLUTO 26v2
- Subway stations
- 6 (Lexington Av/59 St, Lexington Av/63 St, 96 St)
- Data updated
- 2026-09-14
Is Upper East Side Safe?
Upper East Side, Manhattan scores 7.6/10 for overall livability, ranking #1 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. Upper East Side scores 7.6: a transit-rich, tree-dense neighborhood with few housing violations, offset by distant parks.
The livability score draws on HPD housing violations, subway access, NYC Parks' tree inventory and parks, and 311 noise complaints per resident from NYC Open Data, refreshed periodically rather than live. It does not include crime; NYPD complaint and shooting figures are on the Upper East Side safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific Upper East Side address below for a block-level breakdown.
Score Overview
Vertical line = borough median. Scale: 0-10.
Practical measures HPD housing violations per residential lot over the last 12 months (higher = fewer violations). Borough medians are computed across DwellCheck's Manhattan neighborhood guides.
Neighborhood Character
You'll find yourself walking past dense street and park trees—an average of 276 trees within 200 meters, with tree density of 9.5/10—that shapes the Upper East Side's quieter, greener character relative to much of Manhattan. The nearest park in the data, Samuel Seabury Playground, sits about 1,465 meters away. Despite its reputation for refined dining and cultural institutions along Museum Mile, the street experience is defined by its housing: one-family townhouses (28% of residential tax lots) and elevator apartment buildings (26%). The transit network is exceptional: you're within reach of the Lexington Line (4, 5, 6), crosstown services (N, R, W, M, Q), and multiple station clusters that anchor commute reliability.
Livability & Restoration
Trees
276 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 9.5/10 (city percentile)
In Toronto, 10 more trees on a city block went with a rise in self-rated health comparable to being 7 years younger (Kardan et al., 2015, Scientific Reports). In a cross-sectional study of London boroughs, each additional street tree per km of street went with 1.18 fewer antidepressant prescriptions per 1,000 residents (Taylor et al., 2015, Landscape and Urban Planning).
Park Access
1 park
NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood | largest: Samuel Seabury Playground | nearest to the center: Samuel Seabury Playground, 1465m | 3 nearest average 1465m from the neighborhood's center
Acoustic Quality
6/10
Noise proxy score (higher = quieter)
Environmental noise exposure increases the occurrence of hypertension and cardiovascular disease; WHO's night-noise guidelines call average outdoor night noise above 55 dB increasingly dangerous for public health (Basner et al., 2014, The Lancet).
What is the ART Score?
ART stands for Attention Restoration Theory (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989) — the framework environmental psychologists use to measure whether a place helps your brain recover from mental fatigue, or pushes it deeper into overload. Cities deplete directed attention (the effortful focus you use at work); exposure to restorative environments replenishes it.
DwellCheck uses the idea in two separate places, and they measure different things. The neighborhood ART score below comes from neighborhood-wide data: up to 5 points from tree density (a city percentile) and up to 5 from how few 311 noise complaints there are per resident. An address report has no ART score. It runs the Wellness checks below, and their points go into the address’s overall score.
More than a point above the Manhattan median: denser trees, fewer noise complaints per resident, or both.
What an address report checks instead (Wellness)
- ±Sensory environment. A calm score minus a busy score, each starting at 50. Busy: a firehouse within 100m (+15) or 200m (+8), and 311 noise complaints within 200m over 6 months (15+ adds 5, 40+ adds 12, 80+ adds 20, and 3 more at 20+ complaints that include vehicle or street noise). Calm: a library (+15), community garden (+12) or public plaza or atrium (POPS; +15 indoor, +8 outdoor) within 200m, and a park within 300m (+10; +15 at 1+ acre; +20 at 5+ acres). A difference of +20 or more adds 8 points; −10 to −29 costs 2; −30 or less costs 4. Bars, museums, tourists and foot traffic are not counted.
- +Third places (Oldenburg, 1989). Public libraries, public plazas and atriums (POPS) and community gardens within 400m: 1–2 add 5 points, 3 or more add 10. Cafés and community centers are not counted. In a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies, loneliness or social isolation went with a 29% higher risk of incident coronary heart disease (Valtorta et al., 2016, Heart).
- 0Street vitality (Jacobs, 1961). Permitted block parties, farmers markets and similar community events in the borough over the past 12 months. The event data has no coordinates, so this is a borough-wide count shown for context. It doesn’t change the score.
Health mechanism. The theory holds that natural settings let directed attention recover. The evidence is mixed: a systematic review of 31 studies (Ohly et al., 2016, Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B) found that time in natural environments improved 3 of 13 pooled attention measures (Digit Span Forward, Digit Span Backward and Trail Making Test B) and showed no marked benefit on the other 10.
Theoretical foundations. Kaplan & Kaplan (1989), The Experience of Nature; Jacobs (1961), The Death and Life of Great American Cities; Oldenburg (1989), The Great Good Place.
Transit & Commute
Subway Stations
Commute Score
9.5/10
Borough median: 7/10
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
276
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
9.5/10
2,197 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- Samuel Seabury Playground
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: Samuel Seabury Playground, about 1465m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 1465m from the center (approximate park centers, not entrances).
Practical Living
Practical (HPD violations): 8/10 (Manhattan median 6). It measures HPD housing violations per residential lot over the last 12 months (higher = fewer violations).
Building Mix (Residential Tax Lots)
Share of the 2,249 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who Upper East Side Is For
Transit-dependent professionals
Commute score of 9.5 (well above borough median of 7.0) with dense subway access across six station clusters makes this neighborhood built for people who need reliable regional connectivity.
Residents who want well-maintained buildings
Practical score of 8 (significantly above borough median of 6.0) reflects a low rate of HPD housing violations per residential building.
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Exceptional transit access
Commute score of 9.5; six major subway stations including Lexington Av/59 St (4,5,6,N,R,W) and multiple crosstown lines (M, Q)
High tree density
Average 276 trees within 200m, tree density 9.5/10
Few housing violations
Practical score of 8 reflects a low rate of HPD housing violations per residential lot
Relatively safer than borough average
Lower crime rate per resident than 69% of Manhattan neighborhoods, with crime down 19.1%
Trade-offs
Score Any Address in Upper East Side
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in Upper East SideFrequently Asked Questions about Upper East Side
1Is Upper East Side safe?
By NYPD data, Upper East Side is rated "Safer Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 69% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 3,230 crime incidents and 0 shooting incidents over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Upper East Side?
Rents in Upper East Side, Manhattan vary significantly by building and apartment type. Market pricing isn't aggregated for this neighborhood yet; use DwellCheck to research specific addresses for HPD registration, HPD violations, and other building-level records. DwellCheck doesn't show rent-stabilization status; request the apartment's rent history from DHCR for that.
3How is transit access in Upper East Side?
Upper East Side has a commute score of 9.5/10. 6 subway stations serve the area: Lexington Av/59 St, Lexington Av/63 St, 96 St.
4What are the best streets in Upper East Side?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Upper East Side known for?
Upper East Side sits in Manhattan and ranks #1 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (7.6/10). It's served by 6 subway stations (Lexington Av/59 St, Lexington Av/63 St, 96 St). Upper East Side scores 7.6: a transit-rich, tree-dense neighborhood with few housing violations, offset by distant parks.
6What is it like to live in Upper East Side?
DwellCheck scores Upper East Side, Manhattan from NYC Open Data on practical (HPD housing violations per residential lot over the last 12 months (higher = fewer violations)), commute (subway stations and lines in the neighborhood), ART (tree density and 311 noise complaints per resident), outdoor (trees and park proximity). Upper East Side's composite is 7.6/10. Upper East Side scores 7.6: a transit-rich, tree-dense neighborhood with few housing violations, offset by distant parks. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Upper East Side address through DwellCheck.
7Where is Upper East Side?
Upper East Side is in Manhattan, New York City. DwellCheck maps it to the Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill Neighborhood Tabulation Area (MN0802), which falls in the Census tabulation area that matches Manhattan Community District 8 (Upper East Side-Roosevelt Island). Its main ZIP codes are 10128, 10028, 10021, 10065 and 10075. Subway stations in the neighborhood include Lexington Av/59 St, Lexington Av/63 St and 96 St.
8What ZIP code is Upper East Side in?
Upper East Side spans ZIP codes 10128 (29% of residential units), 10028 (21%), 10021 (19%), 10065 (19%) and 10075 (11%). Shares are of the 40,064 residential units in the Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill Neighborhood Tabulation Area (MN0802), from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records. 1 other ZIP code holds under 5%.
9Can you walk around Upper East Side at night?
Upper East Side is classified as "Safer Than Average" by NYPD complaint data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 0 shooting incidents and 3,230 total crime incidents. Walking at night carries the same risk profile as anywhere in NYC: stay on commercial corridors with foot traffic, avoid empty side streets after midnight, and prefer subway lines that run 24/7.
10Is Upper East Side dangerous?
By NYPD data, Upper East Side is rated "Safer Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 69% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 3,230 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
11What parts of Upper East Side should I avoid?
NYPD complaint records carry approximate incident coordinates, but a neighborhood total can't tell you which blocks drive it, so we don't publish an "avoid this street" list. For a specific block, use DwellCheck's address-level safety score, which counts NYPD crime complaints within a 300m radius of the building over the latest 12 months of published data and compares that count with the borough average.
12Is Upper East Side a good place to live?
Upper East Side scores 7.6/10 for overall livability and has a lower crime rate per resident than 69% of Manhattan neighborhoods. Upper East Side scores 7.6: a transit-rich, tree-dense neighborhood with few housing violations, offset by distant parks. Whether it's a good fit depends on what you weight: families, solo renters, and remote workers each prioritize different factors (noise, transit access, parks, building quality).
13What is the average DwellScore in Upper East Side?
The composite score is 7.6. Scores are driven by exceptional commute (9.5) and practical (8) ratings, partially offset by a low outdoor score (4.5).
14How walkable is the neighborhood to parks?
The only park in the data, Samuel Seabury Playground, is about 1,465 meters away, which is why the outdoor score is 4.5.
15Is Upper East Side safer than other Manhattan neighborhoods?
Yes—it has a lower crime rate per resident than 69% of Manhattan neighborhoods. Crime complaints also fell 19.1% over 12 months.
16What transit options serve Upper East Side?
Six subway stations provide access to the Lexington Line (4, 5, 6) and the N, R, W, M and Q, delivering a commute score of 9.5.
17What is the building stock like?
Of 2,249 residential tax lots, 28% are one-family houses, 26% elevator apartment buildings and 18% walk-up apartment buildings. Townhouses and doorman buildings sit side by side.
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