Is Tompkinsville Safe? Staten Island Livability, Crime & Rent
A transit-adjacent neighborhood with parks close by and strong local livability, but high crime and commute friction—composite score 5.8 reflects the tradeoff.
Tompkinsville at a glance
- Borough
- Staten Island
- Livability score
- 5.8/10
- Borough rank (NYC Open Data guides)
- #7 of 15
- Safety verdict
- High Activity Area
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 2,346
- Subway stations
- 2 (Tompkinsville, Stapleton)
- Data updated
- 2026-09-14
Is Tompkinsville Safe?
Tompkinsville, Staten Island scores 5.8/10 for overall livability, ranking #7 of 15 Staten Island neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. A transit-adjacent neighborhood with parks close by and strong local livability, but high crime and commute friction—composite score 5.8 reflects the tradeoff.
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 Tompkinsville safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific Tompkinsville 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 Staten Island neighborhood guides.
Neighborhood Character
Tompkinsville sits at the northern edge of Staten Island's waterfront corridor, where tree-lined blocks and genuine neighborhood density coexist. You'll find an average of 157 trees within a 200-meter radius with a tree density of 4.4/10. The neighborhood clusters around two SIR stations (Tompkinsville and Stapleton), and parks including Tompkinsville Park and the Stapleton Esplanade along the water (the 3 nearest parks average 301 meters from the neighborhood's center). One-family (56% of residential tax lots) and two-family (30%) houses create a human-scaled streetscape. Victory Boulevard serves as the commercial spine. What you're trading for this park access is noise—1,910 complaints in the past year—and a commute that requires planning.
Livability & Restoration
Trees
157 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 4.4/10 (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
6 parks
NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood | largest: Stapleton Esplanade | nearest to the center: Tappen Park, 101m | 3 nearest average 301m from the neighborhood's center
Acoustic Quality
2/10
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 Staten Island 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
5/10
Borough median: 4/10
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
157
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
4.4/10
1,247 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- Stapleton Esplanade
- Rev. Dr. Maggie Howard Playground
- Lyons Pool
- Tappen Park
- Tompkinsville Park
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: Tappen Park, about 101m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 301m from the center (approximate park centers, not entrances).
Practical Living
Practical (HPD violations): 8/10 (Staten Island median 9). It measures HPD housing violations per residential lot over the last 12 months (higher = fewer violations).
Building Mix (Residential Tax Lots)
Share of the 2,641 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who Tompkinsville Is For
Car-free or transit-dependent residents
Two SIR stations provide your primary commute option, but the 5.0 commute score signals this isn't a quick trip to Manhattan. You need flexibility or a local job.
Outdoor enthusiasts on a budget
Tree density of 4.4/10 and five nearby parks, with a 2.7 ART/Livability score. You're getting green space without hype.
Practical, stability-focused households
The 8.0 Practical score—highest of its dimensions—reflects a low rate of HPD housing violations and a straightforward residential environment. You know what you're getting.
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Parks within walking distance
157 average trees within 200m, 4.4/10 tree density, parks within walking distance (the 3 nearest parks average 301m from the neighborhood's center)
Walkable, human-scaled streetscape
One-family (56% of residential tax lots) and two-family (30%) houses create consistent low-rise character
Established transit access
Two SIR stations (Tompkinsville and Stapleton) provide reliable, if limited, commute options
Few housing violations
8.0 Practical score—highest of its dimensions—reflects a low rate of HPD housing violations per residential building
Waterfront proximity
Ferry access and Stapleton Esplanade position you near water-based recreation
Trade-offs
Moderate noise activity
1,910 noise complaints in the past 12 months, a moderate rate per resident
High crime activity
2,346 total crimes in 12 months, down 10.2% (the highest crime rate per resident of the 14 Staten Island neighborhoods we track)
Limited commute options
5.0 commute score reflects SIR-only access; though above the borough median of 4.0, it still indicates longer, less convenient travel to job centers
Score Any Address in Tompkinsville
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in TompkinsvilleFrequently Asked Questions about Tompkinsville
1Is Tompkinsville safe?
By NYPD data, Tompkinsville is rated "High Activity Area", with the highest crime rate per resident of the 14 Staten Island neighborhoods we track. 2,346 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 Tompkinsville?
Rents in Tompkinsville, Staten Island 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 Tompkinsville?
Tompkinsville has a commute score of 5/10. 2 subway stations serve the area: Tompkinsville, Stapleton.
4What are the best streets in Tompkinsville?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Tompkinsville known for?
Tompkinsville sits in Staten Island and ranks #7 of 15 Staten Island neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (5.8/10). It's served by 2 subway stations (Tompkinsville, Stapleton). A transit-adjacent neighborhood with parks close by and strong local livability, but high crime and commute friction—composite score 5.8 reflects the tradeoff.
6What is it like to live in Tompkinsville?
DwellCheck scores Tompkinsville, Staten Island 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). Tompkinsville's composite is 5.8/10. A transit-adjacent neighborhood with parks close by and strong local livability, but high crime and commute friction—composite score 5.8 reflects the tradeoff. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Tompkinsville address through DwellCheck.
7Where is Tompkinsville?
Tompkinsville is in Staten Island, New York City. DwellCheck maps it to the Tompkinsville-Stapleton-Clifton-Fox Hills Neighborhood Tabulation Area (SI0102), which falls in the Census tabulation area that matches Staten Island Community District 1 (North Shore). Its main ZIP codes are 10304 and 10301. Subway stations in the neighborhood include Tompkinsville and Stapleton.
8What ZIP code is Tompkinsville in?
Tompkinsville spans ZIP codes 10304 (87% of residential units) and 10301 (13%). Shares are of the 6,608 residential units in the Tompkinsville-Stapleton-Clifton-Fox Hills Neighborhood Tabulation Area (SI0102), from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records.
9Can you walk around Tompkinsville at night?
Tompkinsville is classified as "High Activity Area" by NYPD complaint data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 6 shooting incidents and 2,346 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 Tompkinsville dangerous?
By NYPD data, Tompkinsville is rated "High Activity Area", with the highest crime rate per resident of the 14 Staten Island neighborhoods we track. 2,346 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
11What parts of Tompkinsville 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 Tompkinsville a good place to live?
Tompkinsville scores 5.8/10 for overall livability and has the highest crime rate per resident of the 14 Staten Island neighborhoods we track. A transit-adjacent neighborhood with parks close by and strong local livability, but high crime and commute friction—composite score 5.8 reflects the tradeoff. 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 Tompkinsville?
The composite score is 5.8. This is driven by a strong Practical score (8.0) and outdoor access (6.5), offset by weaker ART/Livability (2.7) and commute (5.0) scores.
14Is Tompkinsville safe?
No. The neighborhood has the highest crime rate per resident of the 14 Staten Island neighborhoods we track, with 2,346 crimes recorded in the past 12 months. The trend is improving: crimes fell 10.2% over 12 months. Noise complaints are also moderate at 1,910.
15What's the commute like?
The commute score is 5.0—above the Staten Island median of 4.0—with transit limited to the SIR line at two nearby stations. Expect longer travel times to Manhattan and limited schedule flexibility.
16Are there parks and trees?
Yes. You'll find parks including Tompkinsville Park, Stapleton Esplanade, Rev. Dr. Maggie Howard Playground, Lyons Pool, and Tappen Park (the 3 nearest parks average 301 meters from the neighborhood's center), plus 157 trees within 200m with a tree density of 4.4/10.
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