Is West Brighton Safe? Staten Island Livability, Crime & Rent
West Brighton is a residential neighborhood built for car owners who value park access—but limited transit is a significant headwind (composite score: 5.2).
Is West Brighton Safe?
West Brighton, Staten Island scores 5.2/10 for overall livability, ranking #11 of 15 Staten Island neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data. West Brighton is a residential neighborhood built for car owners who value park access—but limited transit is a significant headwind (composite score: 5.2).
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 West Brighton safety page. Safety varies by block — check a specific West Brighton 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
West Brighton is a residential neighborhood with an average of 121 trees per 200-meter radius, a tree density of 2.4/10. You're surrounded by one-family houses (69% of residential tax lots) on quiet streets punctuated by parks — Silver Lake Park, Goodhue Park, Allison Pond Park, and Barrett Park — and the 3 nearest parks average 798 meters from the neighborhood's center. The trade-off is immediate: transit here is severely limited, with a commute score of 1 (borough median: 4.0), meaning you'll rely on a car or face long waits. The neighborhood registers low noise complaints (1,087 over 12 months), and crime sits near the borough middle (a lower crime rate per resident than 54% of Staten Island neighborhoods); the total fell 13.7%.
Livability & Restoration
Trees
121 trees
Expected in a 200m circle (NYC Parks tree inventory) | Density: 2.4/10 (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
11 parks
NYC Parks properties inside the neighborhood | largest: Silver Lake Park | nearest to the center: Silver Lake Park, 326m | 3 nearest average 798m 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.
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
No transit data available
Commute Score
1/10
Borough median: 4/10
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
121
Trees expected in a 200m circle
Tree Density
2.4/10
960 trees per km² in NYC Parks' tree inventory (street and park trees); city percentile, 1 = sparsest
Largest Parks In or Near the Neighborhood
- Silver Lake Park
- Goodhue Park
- Allison Pond Park
- Barrett Park
- Snug Harbor Cemetery
Nearest to the neighborhood's center: Silver Lake Park, about 326m. The 3 nearest NYC Parks properties average 798m from the center (approximate park centers, not entrances).
Practical Living
Practical (HPD violations): 9/10 (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 7,424 residential tax lots in the neighborhood by PLUTO building class (NYC Department of City Planning).
Who West Brighton Is For
Car-dependent households prioritizing green space
Practical score of 9 reflects a low rate of HPD housing violations. Five nearby parks make outdoor living viable if you drive to amenities, though trees are sparse (121 per 200m, 2.4/10 tree density).
Families seeking affordable, residential stability
Neighborhood highlights note affordable housing stock. One-family (69% of residential tax lots) and two-family (26%) houses provide family-scale living; moderate rodent complaints (95) suggest acceptable maintenance standards.
Art/culture enthusiasts with transportation
Snug Harbor proximity offers cultural access (ART/Livability score of 3.7, just above the borough median of 3.5). Requires personal transport; transit score of 1 eliminates transit-based exploration.
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Multiple parks within walking distance
Silver Lake, Goodhue, Allison Pond, and Barrett Parks, with the 3 nearest parks average 798m from the neighborhood's center; Snug Harbor nearby for cultural programming
Few housing violations
Practical score of 9 (borough median: 9.0) reflects a low rate of HPD housing violations per residential building
Trade-offs
Severely limited public transit
Commute score of 1 (borough median: 4.0)—you'll need a car for most trips outside the immediate neighborhood
Score Any Address in West Brighton
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in West BrightonFrequently Asked Questions about West Brighton
1Is West Brighton safe?
By NYPD data, West Brighton is rated "Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 54% of Staten Island neighborhoods. 1,556 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 West Brighton?
Rents in West Brighton, 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 West Brighton?
West Brighton has a commute score of 1/10. It counts the subway stations inside the neighborhood and the lines they serve. Station-level mapping for this neighborhood isn't available yet.
4What are the best streets in West Brighton?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is West Brighton known for?
West Brighton sits in Staten Island and ranks #11 of 15 Staten Island neighborhoods scored from NYC Open Data on DwellCheck's livability score (5.2/10). It's served by 0 subway stations. West Brighton is a residential neighborhood built for car owners who value park access—but limited transit is a significant headwind (composite score: 5.2).
6What is it like to live in West Brighton?
DwellCheck scores West Brighton, 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). West Brighton's composite is 5.2/10. West Brighton is a residential neighborhood built for car owners who value park access—but limited transit is a significant headwind (composite score: 5.2). For the block-by-block view, run any specific West Brighton address through DwellCheck.
7Where is West Brighton?
West Brighton is in Staten Island, New York City. DwellCheck maps it to the West New Brighton-Silver Lake-Grymes Hill Neighborhood Tabulation Area (SI0104), which falls in the Census tabulation area that matches Staten Island Community District 1 (North Shore). Its main ZIP codes are 10310, 10301 and 10304.
8What ZIP code is West Brighton in?
West Brighton spans ZIP codes 10310 (46% of residential units), 10301 (42%) and 10304 (12%). Shares are of the 13,832 residential units in the West New Brighton-Silver Lake-Grymes Hill Neighborhood Tabulation Area (SI0104), from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax-lot records.
9Can you walk around West Brighton at night?
West Brighton is classified as "Average" by NYPD complaint data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 1 shooting incident and 1,556 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 West Brighton dangerous?
By NYPD data, West Brighton is rated "Average", with a lower crime rate per resident than 54% of Staten Island neighborhoods. 1,556 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
11What parts of West Brighton 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 West Brighton a good place to live?
West Brighton scores 5.2/10 for overall livability and has a lower crime rate per resident than 54% of Staten Island neighborhoods. West Brighton is a residential neighborhood built for car owners who value park access—but limited transit is a significant headwind (composite score: 5.2). 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 West Brighton?
The composite score is 5.2. Scores are driven by a high practical score (9), offset by a commute score of 1 and ART/Livability (3.7) just above the borough median.
14How is transit access here?
Transit access is severely limited. West Brighton's commute score of 1 (borough median: 4.0) means public transportation is not a reliable option; a personal vehicle is required for most destinations outside immediate walking distance.
15Is this neighborhood safe?
Crime sits near the borough middle—a lower crime rate per resident than 54% of Staten Island neighborhoods—and the total fell 13.7% over 12 months. Total crimes logged 1,556 incidents over 12 months. Noise complaints are low (1,087) and rodent complaints are moderate (95).
16What's the building stock like?
West Brighton is predominantly one-family houses (69% of residential tax lots) and two-family houses (26%). This reflects older, smaller-scale residential development typical of outer Staten Island. Apartment buildings are rare.
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