Safety index · Manhattan, New York · data through March 2026
Is Upper West Side-Lincoln Square safe?
Upper West Side-Lincoln Square records more reported crime than most New York neighborhoods. Its SafeRoute safety index is 28 out of 100 — 5 points below the citywide median of 33, ranking 142nd of 197 NYC neighborhoods — based on 1,246 incidents reported to the NYPD within 1 km of the neighborhood center (data through March 2026).
Most of what's reported here is property-related — other theft alone is 53% 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 | 658 · 53% | |
| Public order | 258 · 21% | |
| Violent crime | 121 · 10% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 45 · 4% | |
| Burglary | 37 · 3% | |
| Robbery | 25 · 2% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from NYPD incident timestamps.
Walking in Upper West Side-Lincoln Square 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
- Hell's Kitchen21/100 · High risk
- Upper West Side (Central)30/100 · Elevated
- Midtown-Times Square17/100 · High risk
- Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill30/100 · Elevated
- East Midtown-Turtle Bay27/100 · Elevated
Common questions
Is Upper West Side-Lincoln Square safe at night?
Elevated overall (safety index 28/100). About 41% of severity-weighted incidents in Upper West Side-Lincoln Square 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-Lincoln Square?
Other theft — 658 of 1,246 incidents (53%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through March 2026.
How is the Upper West Side-Lincoln Square 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.