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A detailed breakdown of property crime trends affecting commercial buildings, retail spaces, and businesses across the New York City and New Jersey metro area — with data from the NYPD, FBI, and the Brennan Center.
Property crime remains one of the top concerns for building owners, property managers, and commercial tenants across the New York metropolitan area. While overall crime rates have been declining — in some categories to historic lows — the reality on the ground is more nuanced. Crime is concentrated in specific neighborhoods, specific building types, and specific times of day.
This page compiles the most current property crime data from the NYPD, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, the Brennan Center for Justice, and other authoritative sources. Understanding these numbers helps property managers make informed decisions about commercial security staffing and building protection.
New York City's crime picture in 2024–2025 shows meaningful improvement, but the numbers remain well above pre-pandemic levels in many categories.
| Category | 2024 Total | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total felonies | 188,418 | Vital City, 2025 |
| Total misdemeanors | 299,929 | Vital City, 2025 |
| Total violations | 88,761 | Vital City, 2025 |
| Petit larceny | 109,426 | NYDefenseCounsel, 2026 |
| Grand larceny | 48,283 | NYDefenseCounsel, 2026 |
| Overall major crime change (2024 vs 2023) | -2.9% | Vital City, 2024 |
The first half of 2025 has shown further improvement across most categories:
Breaking down property crime by category reveals where the improvements are happening — and where vulnerabilities remain.
| Crime Type | May 2025 | May 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary | 989 | 1,130 | -12.5% |
| Grand Larceny | 4,007 | 4,175 | -4.0% |
| Grand Larceny Auto | 1,222 | 1,221 | +0.1% |
| Robbery | 1,383 | 1,462 | -5.4% |
| Total Property Crime | 7,601 | 7,988 | -4.8% |
Source: NYPD CompStat via The Global Statistics, 2025
Burglary's 12.5% decline is particularly encouraging for commercial property owners, but with nearly 1,000 burglaries in a single month, the risk remains real — especially for buildings without adequate security.
One of the most important insights from recent crime data is that NYC crime is highly concentrated geographically. A small number of neighborhoods account for a disproportionate share of incidents.
For commercial property owners, these concentration patterns mean that location matters enormously when assessing security needs. A building in Midtown faces a very different risk profile than one in a lower-crime outer borough neighborhood. BSS provides security services across all five boroughs — see our coverage for Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.
"The citywide numbers look better, and that's great — but they don't tell the whole story. When we do security assessments for commercial buildings, the neighborhood-level data is what matters. A Class A office building in Midtown is dealing with a completely different threat profile than one in the Financial District. We customize our security plans based on what's actually happening at the block level, not just the borough level."
— Amanda DeAlmeida, Executive Vice President, Building Security Services
New Jersey's crime picture is generally more favorable than the national average, but commercial property owners across the state still face meaningful risk — particularly in urban areas.
| Category | NJ Rate (per 100K) | vs. U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crime rate | 218 | 39.4% below avg |
| Property crime rate | 1,427 | 18.9% below avg |
| Burglary rate | 145 | — |
| Larceny-theft rate | 1,119 | — |
| Murder rate | 2 | — |
Source: FBI/USAFacts, 2024
New Jersey saw improvements across every major crime category in 2024 (USAFacts, 2024):
Source: FBI/USAFacts, 2024
NJ ranked 42nd among states for violent crime and 34th for property crime — meaning the state is safer than most. However, commercial districts in cities like Newark, Jersey City, and Paterson experience crime rates well above the state average, requiring proactive security planning. BSS serves properties across New Jersey — see our NJ service locations.
Property crime doesn't just affect building owners — it has cascading effects on the tenants, employees, and customers who occupy commercial spaces.
Many commercial properties include ground-floor retail, making them directly impacted by the national retail theft surge:
For building owners with retail tenants, property crime and retail theft are directly connected to tenant retention and property value. Tenants who don't feel safe — or whose customers don't feel safe — will leave.
For commercial buildings that rely on public transit access — which is most of NYC — subway and transit safety directly affects tenant satisfaction and employee retention.
The concentration of transit crime at just 30 stations is a critical planning factor. Commercial buildings near high-incident stations may need enhanced lobby security, front desk security, and doorman services to ensure tenants and visitors feel safe from the moment they enter.
The data shows that while city-wide trends are positive, commercial properties in high-crime areas or with high-value tenants still need proactive security measures. Here's what works:
Trained building security guards provide the visible presence that deters crime and the skilled response that handles incidents. For commercial properties, this includes lobby officers, patrol officers, and night watch services.
Controlling who enters your building is the foundation of commercial security. Modern access control systems combined with reception security create multiple layers of protection.
CCTV surveillance covers lobbies, parking areas, loading docks, stairwells, and building perimeters. Remote monitoring extends coverage to overnight hours.
A professional security risk assessment identifies your building's specific vulnerabilities based on location, tenant mix, foot traffic patterns, and current security gaps.
The NYPD's Summer Violence Reduction Plan achieved a 28% crime reduction in its 70 deployment zones across 57 precincts (NYPD, 2025). Properties located in or near these zones can leverage the enhanced police presence while supplementing it with private security for building-specific protection.
"Property managers are dealing with a paradox right now — crime rates are going down on paper, but their tenants and employees still don't feel safe. Perception matters as much as statistics. A well-staffed security program doesn't just prevent crime — it gives everyone in the building confidence that someone is watching out for them. That confidence translates directly into tenant retention and building reputation."
— Amanda DeAlmeida, Executive Vice President, Building Security Services
All statistics on this page are sourced from official law enforcement data, government agencies, and established research organizations. Data compiled February 2026.
Building Security Services provides professional security staffing for commercial buildings, office towers, and mixed-use properties across New York City and New Jersey.
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