Safety index · Manhattan, New York · data through June 2026
Is Upper West Side (Central) safe?
Upper West Side (Central) records more reported crime than most New York neighborhoods. Its SafeRoute safety index is 43 out of 100 — 10 points below the citywide median of 53, ranking 123rd of 197 NYC neighborhoods — based on 2,101 incidents reported to the NYPD within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 6 months to June 2026.
DATA THROUGH JUNE 2026 · 6 MONTHS OF DATA
The 0–100 scale is calibrated to New York — a typical New York neighborhood sits near 53. It ranks Upper West Side (Central) against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
Most of what's reported here is property-related — other theft alone is 47% of reports — rather than violence against strangers, though the full mix below is worth a look.
Reported incidents here skew to daytime and evening hours — only about 13% of severity-weighted reports fall overnight (midnight–6 a.m.).
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Other theft | 982 · 47% | |
| Public order | 453 · 22% | |
| Violent crime | 233 · 11% | |
| Burglary | 94 · 4% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 75 · 4% | |
| Vehicle crime | 101 · 5% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from NYPD incident timestamps.
Walking in Upper West Side (Central) 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 StoreNearby areas
- Upper West Side-Manhattan Valley39/100 · Elevated
- Upper West Side-Lincoln Square38/100 · Elevated
- Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill47/100 · Elevated
- East Harlem (South)28/100 · Elevated
- Upper East Side-Yorkville43/100 · Elevated
Common questions
Is Upper West Side (Central) safe at night?
Elevated overall (safety index 43/100). About 38% of severity-weighted incidents in Upper West Side (Central) 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 Upper West Side (Central)?
Other theft — 982 of 2,101 incidents (47%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 6 months to June 2026.
How is the Upper West Side (Central) 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. The scale is calibrated within New York, so scores compare neighborhoods to each other and cannot be read against another city's.