The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In New York

The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In New York For 2024

In the heart of New York, within Herkimer County, sits the small town of Herkimer. Despite its modest 7,289, this village ranks as the most dangerous place to live in the state for the year 2024. It holds the fourth highest position in violent crimes with a staggering 878/100k violent crime rate.

With a property crime rate of 5,954/100k, Herkimer tops the charts in New York State.

The capital of New York, Albany, ranks as the state’s second most dangerous place to live for 2022. Albany experienced 3,710 property crimes over the year, with more than one burglary every day and a car theft every other day, on average.

Additionally, Albany has the second highest violent crime rate in the state,with residents facing a 1 in 107 chance of being attacked in 2022. So make sure you buddy up if you’re going for a jog at Washington Park.

Located just 25 miles south of The Thousand Islands in Upstate New York, Watertown ranks as the third most dangerous city the state has to offer.

On the bright side, Watertown experienced zero murders in 2022. On the definitely not-bright side, the city also had the fourth highest rate of rape in New York.

Watertown residents also had a 1 in 24 chance of being the victim of a property crime, so you’ll want to watch out for porch pirates here.

The community of Oneida became famous in the 19th century for a local religious organization. Known as the Oneida Community, this group ultimately morphed into a famous silverware manufacturer. You can still pick up a set of Oneida knives, forks, and spoons at your local Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Let’s focus on those knives for a minute. This city of 10,268 people, located in central New York, also represents one of the most dangerous spots in the state. For a sleepy-seeming town located near the scenic Oneida Lake, this location has surprisingly high rates of larceny and sexual assault.

When people think about the mean streets of New York, they’re usually imagining New York City, not Binghamton. But it turns out there’s nowhere in The Empire State with meaner streets than Binghamton, where the overall crime rate is nearly twice as high as the national average.

How bad is it in Binghamton? Well, the city averages one violent crime each day and had the third highest burglary rate in the whole state for 2022. In other words, you can enjoy a day out at

Otsiningo Park, but you’d best be on your way home when the sun starts setting.

Binghamton is located just north of the Pennsylvania border, at the junction of I-81, I-86, and I-88.

We continue the Upstate New York trend with Rochester, New York’s 3rd biggest city. With 7,529 property crimes in 2022, residents of Rochester face a whopping 1 in 7,529 chance of having their stuff stolen or damaged.

On top of that, Rochester averages four violent crimes each day. That includes the state’s highest murder rate.

At least residents can stop and smell the lilacs at Highland Park to, you know, get their minds off all the murder going on.

Located in eastern New York, near the Mohawk and Hudson rivers, is the city of Schenectady. Founded by Dutch colonists in the 17th century, it has a population of 67,101. It is currently ranked as the seventh most dangerous place to live in New York for 2024.

The city reported 508 violent crimes, including 8 murders and 118 robberies. Furthermore, there were 2,296 cases of property crime, including 315 burglaries. The high incidence of these crimes makes Schenectady one of the most dangerous places to live in New York.

Syracuse is home to The Great New York State Fair, but it’s also home to a whole lot of crime. Syracuse had the third highest violent crime rate in New York, with 17 murders in 2022.

On top of that, Syracuse experienced the highest burglary rate in the state, so property crime is quite prevalent as well.

That being said, Syracuse is one of New York’s biggest cities, so if you stick to one of Syracuse’s safest neighborhoods, you should have nothing to worry about.

The city of Troy, New York, is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River in Rensselaer County. With a population of 50,106, Troy is no stranger to crime. The city had 337 violent and 1,679 property crimes in the last reporting year. This earned Troy the ninth spot for the most dangerous places to live in New York.

The city saw 5 murders, 18 rapes, and 82 robberies. Furthermore, there were 232 cases of aggravated assault and 248 burglaries, contributing to its high crime rank.

The Bills may have never won a Super Bowl, but at least Buffalo gets the tenth place medal for…being extremely dangerous. Congratulations?

New York’s second-biggest city is especially bad when it comes to violent crime, with the ninth highest rate statewide. That translates into about 1 in 135 chance of being the victim of violence over the course of a year — not great.

Besides having the second highest murder rate in New York, Buffalo also shines in property crime, with the 13th highest burglary rate. It’s going to take a lot of Buffalo wings to get over these numbers.

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