Is Yorkville Safe? Manhattan Livability, Crime & Rent
Yorkville is a green, safe neighborhood with few housing violations, but limited transit offsets its park and tree advantages.
Yorkville at a glance
- Borough
- Manhattan
- Livability score
- 6.3/10
- Borough rank (NYC Open Data guides)
- #14 of 33
- Safety verdict
- Much Safer Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 1,974
- ZIP codes
- 10128 (46%), 10028 (44%), 10075 (10%)Share of residential units, NYC PLUTO 26v2
- Subway stations
- 1 (96 St)
- Data updated
- 2026-09-14
Is Yorkville Safe?
Yorkville, Manhattan scores 6.3/10 for overall livability, ranking #14 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. Yorkville is a green, safe neighborhood with few housing violations, but limited transit offsets its park and tree advantages.
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 Yorkville safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific Yorkville 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
Yorkville is a tree-dense Upper East Side enclave where you'll walk beneath an average of 311 trees per 200 meters and a tree density rated 9.7/10—some of the highest in the borough. The neighborhood clusters around Carl Schurz Park and the East River, giving you genuine waterfront access and green space (the 3 nearest parks average 394 meters from the neighborhood's center). You'll find walk-up apartment buildings on 59% of residential tax lots and elevator buildings on 20%, creating a varied street texture, anchored by European bakeries and established residential blocks. The Q train at 96th Street is your primary transit link, though the commute score (3) lags far behind the borough median (7.0).
Livability & Restoration
Trees
311 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 9.7/10 (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
5 parks
NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood | largest: Carl Schurz Park | nearest to the center: Asphalt Green, 331m | 3 nearest average 394m from the neighborhood's center
Acoustic Quality
5/10
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
3/10
Borough median: 7/10
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
311
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
9.7/10
2,472 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- Carl Schurz Park
- Asphalt Green
- Stanley Isaacs Playground
- Ruppert Park
- Park
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: Asphalt Green, about 331m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 394m from the center (approximate park centers, not entrances).
Practical Living
Practical (HPD violations): 7/10 (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 1,387 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who Yorkville Is For
Tree-focused households
Tree density of 9.7/10 and 311 trees per 200m make this one of the greenest choices in Manhattan for residents prioritizing outdoor cover
Park-adjacent dwellers
Carl Schurz Park and Asphalt Green are close, and the 3 nearest parks average 394m from the neighborhood's center; outdoor score of 8.4 reflects reliable park access
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Exceptional tree density
311 trees within 200m and 9.7/10 tree density rank among the borough's highest
Few housing violations
Reliable park access
The 3 nearest parks average 394m from the neighborhood's center; Carl Schurz Park and Asphalt Green provide waterfront and recreation options
Established residential character
Residential tax lots mix walk-up (59%) and elevator (20%) apartment buildings, with landmark institutions like Gracie Mansion
Trade-offs
Severe transit limitation
Commute score of 3/10 (vs. borough median 7.0); Q train at 96th Street is the primary option
High rodent complaints
453 rodent complaints on record
Score Any Address in Yorkville
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in YorkvilleFrequently Asked Questions about Yorkville
1Is Yorkville safe?
By NYPD data, Yorkville is rated "Much Safer Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 96% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 1,974 crime incidents and 1 shooting incident over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Yorkville?
Rents in Yorkville, 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 Yorkville?
Yorkville has a commute score of 3/10. 1 subway stations serve the area: 96 St.
4What are the best streets in Yorkville?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Yorkville known for?
Yorkville sits in Manhattan and ranks #14 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (6.3/10). It's served by 1 subway station (96 St). Yorkville is a green, safe neighborhood with few housing violations, but limited transit offsets its park and tree advantages.
6What is it like to live in Yorkville?
DwellCheck scores Yorkville, 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). Yorkville's composite is 6.3/10. Yorkville is a green, safe neighborhood with few housing violations, but limited transit offsets its park and tree advantages. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Yorkville address through DwellCheck.
7Where is Yorkville?
Yorkville is in Manhattan, New York City. DwellCheck maps it to the Upper East Side-Yorkville Neighborhood Tabulation Area (MN0803), 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 and 10075. Subway stations in the neighborhood include 96 St.
8What ZIP code is Yorkville in?
Yorkville spans ZIP codes 10128 (46% of residential units), 10028 (44%) and 10075 (10%). Shares are of the 50,986 residential units in the Upper East Side-Yorkville Neighborhood Tabulation Area (MN0803), from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records.
9Can you walk around Yorkville at night?
Yorkville is classified as "Much Safer Than Average" by NYPD complaint data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 1 shooting incident and 1,974 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 Yorkville dangerous?
By NYPD data, Yorkville is rated "Much Safer Than Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 96% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 1,974 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
11What parts of Yorkville 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 Yorkville a good place to live?
Yorkville scores 6.3/10 for overall livability and has a lower crime rate per resident than 96% of Manhattan neighborhoods. Yorkville is a green, safe neighborhood with few housing violations, but limited transit offsets its park and tree advantages. 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 Yorkville?
The composite score is 6.3. Practical (7/10) and outdoor (8.4/10) scores drive strength, while the commute score drags the overall rating down at 3/10.
14How does Yorkville's transit connectivity compare?
Commute score of 3/10 is dramatically below the borough median of 7.0. The Q train at 96th Street is the primary transit access; this limits broader MTA connectivity.
15Is Yorkville safe?
Yorkville is rated much safer than average, with a lower crime rate per resident than 96% of Manhattan neighborhoods; 1,974 crimes were recorded over 12 months, down 7.7%. Noise complaints (3,347) are low.
16What makes Yorkville's outdoor environment distinctive?
An average of 311 trees per 200 meters and tree density of 9.7/10 rank among the borough's highest. Carl Schurz Park and Asphalt Green anchor the parks, and the 3 nearest parks average 394 meters from the neighborhood's center, supporting an outdoor score of 8.4.
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