- About Us
- Our Services
New JerseySecurity Personnel
- Armed Security Guards
- Concierge / Doorman
- Fire Safety Manager
- Patrol Services
- Unarmed Security Guards
Security Systems - Request Information
An in-depth analysis of New York City crime data by borough, neighborhood, and crime type — with a focus on property crime, violent crime trends, and what the numbers mean for building security in 2026.
New York City's crime landscape is complex, constantly shifting, and deeply relevant to anyone responsible for the safety of a building, business, or community. Whether you manage a commercial property in Midtown, a residential complex in the Bronx, or a retail location in Brooklyn, understanding crime trends at the neighborhood level helps you make informed security decisions.
The headline for 2026 is straightforward: New York is on track for one of the safest years in its recorded history. The more useful story for property managers is the exception buried underneath it — one high-volume crime category has moved in the opposite direction for six consecutive years, and it is the one most likely to affect building staff and tenants.
2025 closed with shootings and murders at historic lows, and most major crime categories declining year over year.
| Crime Category | 2025 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Murders | 309 | ↓ ~14% from 2024; lowest since the 1950s except 2017–18 |
| Felony assaults | 29,841 | ↑ 1.3% from 2024 — sixth consecutive annual increase |
| Total major crimes | 121,652 | Most categories down year over year |
| Shootings | Historic low | ↓ 54% since the 2021 peak |
Source: Vital City — The State of Crime in New York City, 2025; Brennan Center for Justice
One caveat worth noting: the 2025 declines were not evenly distributed across the year. November and December 2025 showed increases against the same months in 2024, which is part of why the 2026 midyear figures matter more than the annual total for anyone making current security decisions (Vital City).
Through the first half of 2026 (January 1 – June 28), New York City recorded one of its strongest first-half declines in major crime in two decades — the third largest midyear drop since 2006:
| Crime Category | 2026 YTD | Change vs. 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Murders | 119 | ↓ 25.6% |
| Shooting incidents | 318 | ↓ 3.3% |
| Burglary | — | ↓ 16.3% |
| Robbery | — | ↓ 11.7% |
| Felony assault | — | ↑ 0.3% |
| Total major crime | — | ↓ 5.9% |
Source: Vital City — Crime in New York City Midyear 2026 (January 1 – June 28)
Property crime has continued to fall through the summer. NYPD recorded 29,731 grand larceny complaints through late August 2026, down 5.1% from 31,337 over the same stretch in 2025 (NYPD CompStat).
Burglary is the standout for commercial property managers: down 16.3% year to date, the largest decline of any major category. Robbery followed at 11.7%.
Every other major crime category in New York City has trended down. Felony assault has not. It rose for the sixth consecutive year in 2025, reaching 29,841 incidents — a level the city has not seen since 1997 (Vital City). Through the 2026 midpoint it was still climbing, up 0.3%.
The scale comparison is the part that matters operationally: felony assaults outnumber murders 97 to 1. Murder is the number that makes headlines and drives public perception of whether a city is safe. Felony assault is the number that actually describes what building staff, doormen, concierge personnel, and tenants are statistically likely to encounter.
For property managers, this is the single most important line in the entire dataset. A security plan calibrated to falling murder and shooting rates is calibrated to the wrong risk. The threat that has grown every year for six years is interpersonal violence — disputes that escalate, confrontations in lobbies and common areas, incidents involving unauthorized entry.
These are precisely the situations where trained front desk and lobby security and access control change outcomes — not by responding to violence, but by preventing the access and escalation that precede it.
NYC crime is not evenly distributed. Understanding where crime concentrates is essential for property managers and business owners making security decisions. The neighborhood-level breakdown below reflects Vital City's 2024 analysis, the most recent published at that granularity.
"When we evaluate buildings in Midtown or the Financial District, property crime is the number one concern — package theft, unauthorized building access, and grand larceny. In neighborhoods like East Harlem or parts of the Bronx, the conversation shifts to violent crime deterrence and access control. That's why a one-size-fits-all security approach doesn't work in New York City."
— Amanda DeAlmeida, Executive Vice President, Building Security Services
Two consecutive years of decline in burglary and grand larceny is genuinely good news for commercial property managers. But scale matters: even at 2026's reduced rate, NYC is recording roughly 30,000 grand larcenies in eight months. Properties without professional night watch security or access control remain exposed.
Despite its reputation, NYC performs well relative to other major cities:
Nationally, crime fell sharply in 2025 as well: the FBI reported violent crime down 9.3% — the largest single-year decline since 1936 — and property crime down 12.4% (FBI). New York's improvement is part of a national pattern, not an isolated local one.
Subway safety is a perennial concern for commuters, building tenants, and businesses located near transit hubs. Here's what the data shows:
The concentration of transit crime at just 30 stations mirrors a broader pattern: crime in NYC is highly localized. Buildings near high-crime transit nodes face different security challenges than those in quieter areas — a factor that should inform security risk assessments and staffing decisions.
Many BSS clients operate in both New York City and New Jersey. State-level FBI data for New Jersey is currently published through 2024; the 2025 state breakouts had not been released as of September 2026.
| New Jersey (2024) | Rate/Value | vs. U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crime rate | 218 per 100K | 39.4% below U.S. average |
| Property crime rate | 1,427 per 100K | 18.9% below U.S. average |
| Murder rate | 2 per 100K | Well below national average |
| Burglary rate | 145 per 100K | — |
| Larceny-theft rate | 1,119 per 100K | — |
| State crime rank (violent) | 42nd (low) | — |
| Overall crime change (2023→2024) | ↓ 6.2% | All 7 categories declined |
Source: FBI/USAFacts (2024)
New Jersey's property crime breakdown: 78.4% larceny-theft, 11.4% motor vehicle theft, 10.2% burglary. In 2024, all seven major crime categories declined across the state, with murder down 20.7%, burglary down 7.7%, and motor vehicle theft down 14.8% (USAFacts). National 2025 figures suggest this trend continued — FBI data shows burglary down 15.8% and motor vehicle theft down 22.7% nationwide.
Despite NJ's below-average crime rates, larceny-theft — the category most relevant to commercial properties — accounts for the vast majority of property crime. Buildings, warehouses, and industrial facilities across NJ still benefit from professional security presence.
The crime data tells a nuanced story. Here's what property managers should take away:
Murder and shootings are at historic lows. Felony assault is at its highest level since 1997 and has risen six years running. For a building manager, the second number describes daily reality far better than the first — assaults outnumber murders 97 to 1.
Crime is concentrated in specific neighborhoods and precincts. A building in Midtown faces different threats (property crime, package theft) than one in East Harlem (violent crime) or the Financial District. Security risk assessments should be tailored to your specific location.
Buildings near the 30 highest-crime subway stations face elevated security risks. If your property is near a transit hub, lobby security and access control are especially important.
Even in a record-setting year, NYC recorded roughly 30,000 grand larcenies in eight months and nearly 30,000 felony assaults in 2025. Declining percentages describe direction; absolute counts describe exposure.
"The data confirms what we see every day on the ground — crime in New York is hyperlocal. We adjust our staffing and patrol patterns based on NYPD CompStat data and our own incident reports. A building two blocks away can have a completely different risk profile. That's why we customize every security plan to the specific property and its surrounding environment."
— Amanda DeAlmeida, Executive Vice President, Building Security Services
Building Security Services provides comprehensive security services across NYC and New Jersey, including unarmed security officers, mobile patrol, concierge security, and remote video monitoring.
Down significantly. Major crime fell 5.9% through the first half of 2026, the third-largest midyear decline since 2006. Murders were down 25.6% to 119, and shooting incidents fell 3.3% to 318. The one exception is felony assault, which rose 0.3% and has now increased for six consecutive years.
New York City recorded 309 murders in 2025, down roughly 14% from 2024. That is the lowest annual total since the 1950s with the exception of 2017 and 2018. Through late June 2026, the city had recorded 119 murders, running 25.6% below the same period in 2025.
East Harlem leads the city in violent crime and assault rates, and six of the ten highest violent crime neighborhoods are in the Bronx. For property crime, Midtown Manhattan has the highest rate in the city. Crime is highly concentrated overall — roughly half of all major crime occurs in a small number of precincts.
Felony assault has increased for six consecutive years and reached 29,841 incidents in 2025, a level not seen since 1997. It is the only major category moving against the overall trend. For building operators this is the most consequential figure in the dataset, because felony assaults outnumber murders 97 to 1 and represent the type of incident building staff and tenants are most likely to actually encounter.
Statistically, quite safe relative to ridership — there are more than 750,000 rides per major felony. Transit crime is also highly concentrated: half of all violent transit crimes occur at just 30 of the system's 472 stations. Buildings located near those higher-crime transit nodes face elevated risk compared with properties elsewhere in the city.
No. New York City's murder rate is lower than the national average, and it ranks among the lowest of the 50 largest U.S. cities for both murder and property crime. National crime also fell sharply in 2025 — the FBI reported violent crime down 9.3%, the largest single-year decline since 1936 — so New York's improvement reflects a broader national pattern.
NYPD recorded 29,731 grand larceny complaints through late August 2026, down 5.1% from the same period in 2025. Burglary fell 16.3% and robbery 11.7% at the 2026 midpoint. Despite consecutive years of decline, the absolute volume remains substantial — roughly 30,000 grand larcenies in eight months.
Building Security Services provides trained security officers for commercial buildings, residential properties, and retail locations throughout NYC and New Jersey. Let us analyze the crime data for your specific location and quote the right coverage.
Get a Free Security Quote →All crime statistics in this article are sourced from official NYPD CompStat data, the FBI's national crime statistics, and analyses by reputable research organizations including the Brennan Center for Justice and Vital City. Where a figure reflects an earlier reference year — neighborhood-level breakdowns and New Jersey state data in particular — that year is stated explicitly. New Jersey's 2025 state-level breakouts had not been published as of September 2026. All figures are the most recent available as of September 2026.
Data-driven insights across every area of the security industry.