SafeRoute

Safety index · Manhattan, New York · data through March 2026

Is Morningside Heights safe?

Morningside Heights records more reported crime than most New York neighborhoods. Its SafeRoute safety index is 29 out of 100 — 4 points below the citywide median of 33, ranking 132nd of 197 NYC neighborhoods — based on 1,005 incidents reported to the NYPD within 1 km of the neighborhood center (data through March 2026).

29/100
Elevated
SafeRoute safety index for the area within 1 km of the center of Morningside Heights — higher is safer. 132nd of 197 NYC neighborhoods.

The largest reported category here is violent crime (17% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.

Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 29% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 16% overnight.

Where incidents cluster

BroadwayRiverside Dr neighborhood center 1 dot = 1 report · darker = more severe 500 m N ↑
1,005 incidents reported within 1 km of the Morningside Heights center (500 shown) · NYPD data through March 2026 · basemap: NYC Open Data. Reports cluster toward the east of the map — the area immediately around the neighborhood center is comparatively quiet.

What's reported here

Violent crime
172 · 17%
Public order
255 · 25%
Other theft
323 · 32%
Sexual offences
44 · 4%
Criminal damage & arson
55 · 5%
Other
43 · 4%

When it happens

6a–6p6p–12a12a–6aMON–FRI6a–6p6p–12a12a–6aSAT–SUN

Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from NYPD incident timestamps.

Walking in Morningside Heights at night?

SafeRoute scores every walking route against the same live crime data on this page — and shows how much of each route runs on lit streets. Pick the safer way, share your walk, and check in when you arrive. Free, no account.

Get SafeRoute on the App Store

Nearby areas

Common questions

Is Morningside Heights safe at night?

Elevated overall (safety index 29/100). About 45% of severity-weighted incidents in Morningside Heights are reported between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. At night, prefer lit, busier streets — a block or two of detour often avoids the clusters on the map above.

What is the most common crime in Morningside Heights?

Violent crime — 172 of 1,005 incidents (17%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through March 2026.

How is the Morningside Heights safety index calculated?

SafeRoute weights each incident reported to the NYPD by severity (violence weighs more than shoplifting), sums the last available period within 1 km of the neighborhood center, and normalizes against citywide crime rates onto a 0–100 scale — higher is safer. It describes reported crime only; it is not a guarantee of safety.