Is Mott Haven Safe? Bronx Livability, Crime & Rent
Mott Haven scores 7.2 median—a practical, transit-rich neighborhood with excellent tree cover and parks, offset by noise and rising crime.
Mott Haven at a glance
- Borough
- Bronx
- Livability score
- 7.2/10
- Borough rank
- #2 of 23
- Safety verdict
- High Activity Area
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 7,701
- Median listing
- $0
- Subway stations
- 6 (Whitlock Av, Hunts Point Av, Longwood Av)
- Active listings
- 420
- Data updated
- 2026-04-05
Is Mott Haven Safe?
Mott Haven, Bronx scores 7.2/10 for overall livability, ranking #2 of 23 Bronx neighborhoods. Mott Haven scores 7.2 median—a practical, transit-rich neighborhood with excellent tree cover and parks, offset by noise and rising crime.
This score aggregates live NYPD crime data, 311 safety complaints, shooting incidents, and building health signals within walking distance. Safety varies by block — check a specific Mott Haven address below for a block-level breakdown.
Score Overview
Vertical line = borough median. Scale: 0-10.
Neighborhood Character
Mott Haven is a densely built neighborhood where you're never far from green space—92 trees on average within a 200-meter radius create a canopy density of 9.5/10, among the highest in the borough. You'll navigate primarily mid-rise buildings (76% of the stock), with pockets of older walk-ups and occasional high-rises. The waterfront is accessible via Barretto Point Park, and you're surrounded by other green anchors: Bill Rainey Park, Joseph Rodman Drake Park & Enslaved African Burial Ground, and several smaller playgrounds, all within a 221-meter average walk. The six subway lines serving Whitlock Avenue, Hunts Point Avenue, Longwood Avenue, and East 149th Street mean your commute calculus is favorable—the neighborhood scores 8.5 for transit. Street-level activity is constant: you'll encounter high noise complaints (5,711 over 12 months) and elevated crime (5,881 total crimes, trending worse), but low rodent complaints suggest maintained buildings.
Analysis based on 420 properties scored across 30+ data points
Livability & Restoration
Tree Canopy
92 trees
Avg within 200m | Density: 9.5/10
10 additional trees per block correlates with health benefits equivalent to being 7 years younger (Kardan et al., 2015)
Park Access
Barretto Point Park
Avg 221m away | Score: 2.9/10
Living within 300m of green space associated with 30% fewer antidepressant prescriptions (Taylor et al., 2015)
Acoustic Quality
8/10
Noise proxy score (higher = quieter)
Chronic noise above 55 dB at night associated with 8% cardiovascular mortality increase (Basner et al., 2014)
Street Character
0/10
Enclosure: 0/10
What is the ART Score?
ART stands for Attention Restoration Theory (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989) — the framework environmental psychologists use to measure whether a place helps your brain recover from mental fatigue, or pushes it deeper into overload. Cities deplete directed attention (the effortful focus you use at work); exposure to restorative environments replenishes it.
We compute an ART score for every block by combining four signals: access to restorative zones (parks, museums, libraries), sensory load (nightlife and tourist density), street vitality (Jane Jacobs’ “eyes on the street”), and third places (Oldenburg’s informal community spaces).
Meaningfully more restorative than the Bronx average — expect lower sensory load and better access to restorative zones than most of the borough.
What drives the score
- +Restorative zones. Museums, libraries, community gardens, and parks within walking distance. “Soft fascination” stimuli (clouds, tree branches, water) let directed attention recover without effort — the Kaplans’ core mechanism.
- −Sensory load. Bar and nightclub density (5+ within 150m), firehouse siren corridors, tourist chokepoints, and very high foot traffic push the score down by up to 8 points.
- +Street vitality (Jacobs, 1961). Permitted block parties, farmers markets, and community festivals over the past 12 months — a proxy for “eyes on the street” and the informal surveillance that makes blocks feel safe and maintained.
- +Third places (Oldenburg, 1989). Cafés, public plazas (POPS), community centers — the “anchors of community life” that buffer against social isolation. Loneliness has been linked to 29% higher incident coronary heart disease risk (Valtorta et al., 2016).
Health mechanism. Directed-attention fatigue (DAF) is linked to impaired decision-making, irritability, and elevated cortisol. A meta-analysis of 60+ studies (Ohly et al., 2016) found restorative environment exposure significantly improves attention-task performance (Hedges’ g ≈ 0.32) and reduces negative affect.
Theoretical foundations. Kaplan & Kaplan (1989), The Experience of Nature; Jacobs (1961), The Death and Life of Great American Cities; Oldenburg (1989), The Great Good Place.
Transit & Commute
Subway Stations
Commute Score
8.5/10
Borough median: 5/10
Walk Score Proxy
0/10
Based on street geometry analysis
Financial Landscape
Median Price
$0
Price per Sq Ft
$0
Price Distribution
Price by Building Type
Investment Indicators
Avg Unused FAR
0 sqft
Development rights potential
Unused development rights valued at $30-$80/sqft in Brooklyn (Glaeser, 2011)
Avg Days on Market
0
Market velocity signal
Multi-Family Stock
0%
2-4 family buildings
Multi-family owner-occupants build 2.4x wealth vs single-family (Herbert, 2013)
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
92
Within 200m radius
Canopy Density
9.5/10
Normalized canopy coverage
Park Network
- Barretto Point Park
- Bill Rainey Park
- Julio Carballo Fields
- Joseph Rodman Drake Park & Enslaved African Burial Ground
- Rev J Polite Playground
Avg distance: 221m
Practical Living
Building Types
Who Mott Haven Is For
Commuters prioritizing speed
Commute score of 8.5 with six subway lines (including local and express) makes outbound travel to Manhattan or elsewhere in the borough fast and reliable
Outdoor-space seekers on a budget
ART/Livability score of 5.8 and Outdoor score of 5.7 beat borough medians; dense tree canopy (9.5/10) and five named parks within walking distance offset limited commercial amenities
Practical-minded renters
Practical score of 9.0 reflects solid transit, parks, and grocery access; 420 tracked buildings offer rental supply, though financial score of 5.0 reflects neutral pricing data
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Exceptional public transit
Commute score of 8.5 vs. borough median of 5.0; six subway lines serve the neighborhood
Dense tree canopy and parks
92 trees within 200m, canopy density 9.5/10; five parks average 221m away
Strong practical infrastructure
Practical score of 9.0 (borough median: 4.0) reflects reliable transit, parks, and essential services
Low pest complaints
188 rodent complaints over 12 months—low relative to activity level, suggesting maintained buildings
Growing arts and dining scene
ART/Livability score of 5.8 vs. borough median of 4.5; neighborhood highlights include galleries and emerging restaurants
Trade-offs
High noise activity
5,711 noise complaints over 12 months (Very High rating) reflects dense street-level activity
Worsening crime trend
5,881 total crimes (12m) with trend up +172%; safety percentile of 61% places it in high-activity tier for the borough
Limited commercial diversity
ART/Livability and Investment scores both at 5.0; dining and gallery scenes are noted as growing, not established
Score Any Address in Mott Haven
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in Mott HavenFrequently Asked Questions about Mott Haven
1Is Mott Haven safe?
By NYPD data, Mott Haven is rated "High Activity Area" — safer than 0% of Bronx neighborhoods. 7,701 crime incidents and 20 shooting incidents over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Mott Haven?
Rents in Mott Haven, Bronx vary significantly by building and apartment type. The median listing price is $0. Use DwellCheck to research specific addresses.
3How is transit access in Mott Haven?
Mott Haven has a commute score of 8.5/10. 6 subway stations serve the area: Whitlock Av, Hunts Point Av, Longwood Av.
4What are the best streets in Mott Haven?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Mott Haven known for?
Mott Haven sits in Bronx and ranks #2 of 23 Bronx neighborhoods on DwellCheck's livability score (7.2/10). It's served by 6 subway stations (Whitlock Av, Hunts Point Av, Longwood Av), with a median listing price of $0. Mott Haven scores 7.2 median—a practical, transit-rich neighborhood with excellent tree cover and parks, offset by noise and rising crime.
6What is it like to live in Mott Haven?
Living in Mott Haven, Bronx weights against six livability dimensions: practical (HPD-violation density), commute (subway proximity), arts/culture (venue density), outdoor (parks + trees), financial (price level), investment (price trend). Mott Haven's composite is 7.2/10. Mott Haven scores 7.2 median—a practical, transit-rich neighborhood with excellent tree cover and parks, offset by noise and rising crime. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Mott Haven address through DwellCheck.
7Is Mott Haven expensive?
Median listing price in Mott Haven, Bronx is $0 based on 420 active listings as of 2026-04-05. Whether that reads "expensive" depends on the comparison: it's lower than Manhattan averages and varies considerably by building. Rent-stabilized units in Mott Haven can run 20-40% below the median; check DHCR rent history for any specific address to verify.
8Can you walk around Mott Haven at night?
Mott Haven is classified as "High Activity Area" by NYPD CompStat data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 20 shooting incidents and 7,701 total crime incidents. Walking at night carries the same risk profile as anywhere in NYC: stay on commercial corridors with foot traffic, avoid empty side streets after midnight, and prefer subway lines that run 24/7.
9Is Mott Haven dangerous?
By NYPD data, Mott Haven is rated "High Activity Area" — safer than 0% of Bronx neighborhoods. 7,701 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
10What parts of Mott Haven should I avoid?
NYPD CompStat reports incidents at the precinct level, not block-by-block, so a granular "avoid this street" answer isn't possible from public data alone. The most reliable signal at the block level is DwellCheck's address-level safety score, which weights NYPD incidents within a 250m radius of a specific building. As a general rule across NYC: industrial blocks with no foot traffic are higher-risk than residential blocks; subway-station-adjacent commercial corridors are lowest-risk.
11Is Mott Haven a good place to live?
Mott Haven scores 7.2/10 for overall livability and ranks in the 0th percentile for safety in Bronx. Mott Haven scores 7.2 median—a practical, transit-rich neighborhood with excellent tree cover and parks, offset by noise and rising crime. Whether it's a good fit depends on what you weight: families, solo renters, and remote workers each prioritize different factors (noise, transit access, parks, building quality).
12What is the average DwellScore in Mott Haven?
Median composite score is 7.2 (interquartile range 6.8–7.6). The strength lies in Commute (8.5) and Practical scores (9.0); Financial and Investment scores are neutral (5.0) due to unavailable price data. ART/Livability (5.8) and Outdoor (5.7) exceed borough medians.
13How safe is Mott Haven?
The neighborhood ranks at the 61st percentile for safety in the Bronx—a high-activity classification. Total crimes over 12 months: 5,881. Crime trends worsened +172% in the measurement period. Noise complaints are very high (5,711); rodent complaints are low (188).
14What is transit access like?
Six subway lines serve Mott Haven: the 6 at Whitlock, Hunts Point, Longwood, and East 149th; the 2 and 5 at Simpson and Intervale. Commute score of 8.5 reflects reliable access to Manhattan and cross-borough routes.
15How much green space is there?
You'll find an average of 92 trees within 200 meters and a canopy density of 9.5/10—among the borough's highest. Five parks (Barretto Point, Bill Rainey, Julio Carballo Fields, Joseph Rodman Drake Park & Enslaved African Burial Ground, Rev J Polite Playground) average 221 meters away.
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