Is Washington Heights Safe? Manhattan Livability, Crime & Rent
Washington Heights scores 5.1 overall: excellent for transit, but noise, a high housing-violation rate, and limited cultural amenities temper appeal.
Washington Heights at a glance
- Borough
- Manhattan
- Livability score
- 5.1/10
- Borough rank (NYC Open Data guides)
- #29 of 33
- Safety verdict
- Higher Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 9,009
- ZIP codes
- 10032 (36%), 10033 (35%), 10040 (28%)Share of residential units, NYC PLUTO 26v2
- Subway stations
- 8 (Dyckman St, 190 St, 181 St)
- Data updated
- 2026-09-14
Is Washington Heights Safe?
Washington Heights, Manhattan scores 5.1/10 for overall livability, ranking #29 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. Washington Heights scores 5.1 overall: excellent for transit, but noise, a high housing-violation rate, and limited cultural amenities temper appeal.
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 Washington Heights safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific Washington Heights 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
Washington Heights is a tree-lined neighborhood where you'll navigate walk-up tenements with a tree density of 9.2/10—you'll find an average of 244 trees within a 200-meter radius of any address. The A and 1 subway lines run through here frequently, with eight stations within the neighborhood, making it one of the most transit-accessible parts of Manhattan. You're near Fort Tryon Park, which anchors the northern edge, plus J. Hood Wright Park, Bennett Park (about 291 meters from the neighborhood's center), and smaller refuges like Amelia Gorman Park; the 3 nearest parks average 388 meters. The street-level experience reflects Dominican and Latino cultural density, with bodegas, colmadones, and restaurant clusters defining commercial blocks. But you'll also notice active street life—noise complaints run very high at 27,457 over 12 months, and crime complaints total 9,009.
Livability & Restoration
Trees
244 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 9.2/10 (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
19 parks
NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood | largest: Fort Tryon Park | nearest to the center: Bennett Park, 291m | 3 nearest average 388m from the neighborhood's center
Acoustic Quality
1/10
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.
Within a point of the Manhattan median.
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
8.5/10
Borough median: 7/10
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
244
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
9.2/10
1,943 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- Fort Tryon Park
- J. Hood Wright Park
- Bennett Rest
- Amelia Gorman Park
- Bennett Park
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: Bennett Park, about 291m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 388m from the center (approximate park centers, not entrances).
Practical Living
Practical (HPD violations): 2/10 (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 1,709 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who Washington Heights Is For
Transit-dependent commuters
Commute score of 8.5 is above the borough median of 7.0; eight subway stations mean reliable access to jobs across Manhattan without a car
Urban outdoors enthusiasts
Outdoor score of 7.6 sits just above the borough median of 7.3, with major parks and a tree density of 9.2/10
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Excellent transit access
Eight stations (A, 1, C lines) with commute score of 8.5; Dyckman St, 190 St, 181 St, 175 St, 168 St-Washington Hts, 163 St-Amsterdam Av, 191 St, and 157 St stations
Above-median tree density
Tree density of 9.2/10 and average 244 trees per 200m radius; Fort Tryon Park nearby, and the 3 nearest parks average 388m from the neighborhood's center
Trade-offs
Shootings pull the safety rating down
9,009 total crimes and 6 shooting incidents in the last 12 months; the crime rate per resident is lower than 54% of Manhattan neighborhoods, but the shootings put the safety verdict at higher than average; the trend is stable (-3.2%)
Very high noise complaints
27,457 noise complaints over 12 months—substantially above typical neighborhood levels, indicating street and ambient noise concerns
Below-median ART/Livability score
ART/Livability score of 4.6 versus borough median of 4.7
Score Any Address in Washington Heights
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in Washington HeightsFrequently Asked Questions about Washington Heights
1Is Washington Heights safe?
By NYPD data, Washington Heights is rated "Higher Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 54% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 9,009 crime incidents and 6 shooting incidents over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Washington Heights?
Rents in Washington Heights, 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 Washington Heights?
Washington Heights has a commute score of 8.5/10. 8 subway stations serve the area: Dyckman St, 190 St, 181 St.
4What are the best streets in Washington Heights?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Washington Heights known for?
Washington Heights sits in Manhattan and ranks #29 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (5.1/10). It's served by 8 subway stations (Dyckman St, 190 St, 181 St). Washington Heights scores 5.1 overall: excellent for transit, but noise, a high housing-violation rate, and limited cultural amenities temper appeal.
6What is it like to live in Washington Heights?
DwellCheck scores Washington Heights, 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). Washington Heights's composite is 5.1/10. Washington Heights scores 5.1 overall: excellent for transit, but noise, a high housing-violation rate, and limited cultural amenities temper appeal. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Washington Heights address through DwellCheck.
7Where is Washington Heights?
Washington Heights is in Manhattan, New York City. DwellCheck maps it to the Washington Heights (South) and Washington Heights (North) Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (MN1201, MN1202), which fall in the Census tabulation area that matches Manhattan Community District 12 (Washington Heights-Inwood). Its main ZIP codes are 10032, 10033 and 10040. Subway stations in the neighborhood include Dyckman St, 190 St and 181 St.
8What ZIP code is Washington Heights in?
Washington Heights spans ZIP codes 10032 (36% of residential units), 10033 (35%) and 10040 (28%). Shares are of the 58,496 residential units in the Washington Heights (South) and Washington Heights (North) Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (MN1201, MN1202), from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records. 1 other ZIP code holds under 5%.
9Can you walk around Washington Heights at night?
Washington Heights is classified as "Higher Than Average" by NYPD complaint data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 6 shooting incidents and 9,009 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 Washington Heights dangerous?
By NYPD data, Washington Heights is rated "Higher Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 54% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 9,009 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
11What parts of Washington Heights 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 Washington Heights a good place to live?
Washington Heights scores 5.1/10 for overall livability and has a lower crime rate per resident than 54% of Manhattan neighborhoods. Washington Heights scores 5.1 overall: excellent for transit, but noise, a high housing-violation rate, and limited cultural amenities temper appeal. 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 Washington Heights?
The composite score is 5.1. The neighborhood excels in commute (8.5) but lags in practical (2) and arts/livability (4.6)
14How safe is Washington Heights?
Washington Heights has a lower crime rate per resident than 54% of Manhattan neighborhoods, and 6 shooting incidents put its safety verdict at higher than average. Total crimes logged 9,009 over 12 months, and the trend is stable (-3.2%). Noise complaints are very high at 27,457
15What transit options serve this neighborhood?
Eight stations on the A, 1, and C lines: Dyckman St, 190 St, 181 St, 175 St, 168 St–Washington Hts, 163 St–Amsterdam Av, 191 St, and 157 St. This supports a commute score of 8.5, above the borough median of 7.0
16How much green space is there?
Tree density is 9.2/10 with an average of 244 trees per 200-meter radius. Parks include Fort Tryon Park, J. Hood Wright Park, and Bennett Park; the 3 nearest parks average 388 meters from the neighborhood's center. Outdoor score of 7.6 sits just above the borough median of 7.3
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