Is Clinton Hill Safe? Brooklyn Livability, Crime & Rent
Clinton Hill scores a median 7—excellent green space and practical infrastructure offset by noise, worsening safety trends, and moderate commute options.
Clinton Hill at a glance
- Borough
- Brooklyn
- Livability score
- 7/10
- Borough rank
- #2 of 32
- Safety verdict
- Safer Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 1,338
- Median listing
- $0
- Subway stations
- 2 (Clinton-Washington Avs, Classon Av)
- Active listings
- 12
- Data updated
- 2026-04-05
Is Clinton Hill Safe?
Clinton Hill, Brooklyn scores 7/10 for overall livability, ranking #2 of 32 Brooklyn neighborhoods. Clinton Hill scores a median 7—excellent green space and practical infrastructure offset by noise, worsening safety trends, and moderate commute options.
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 Clinton Hill address below for a block-level breakdown.
Score Overview
Vertical line = borough median. Scale: 0-10.
Neighborhood Character
Clinton Hill wraps you in tree cover—you'll find an average of 200 trees within a 200-meter radius with a canopy density of 9.5/10, making tree-lined blocks the default here. The neighborhood centers on Pratt Institute's campus and Victorian mansions along Clinton Avenue, anchoring a growing dining scene. You're walking mostly through walk-ups (92% of tracked buildings), with mid-rises scattered in. Parks are close: Taaffe, Classon, Greene, Underwood, and Pratt playgrounds average 301 meters away. Transit runs via the C and G trains at Clinton-Washington Avenues and the G at Classon Avenue—reliable but not abundant. The tradeoff is noise: you'll register 1,683 noise complaints on the books, and safety data shows high activity (84th percentile in the borough) with a worsening crime trend (+201.8% over 12 months) and 1,020 total crimes recorded.
Analysis based on 12 properties scored across 30+ data points
Livability & Restoration
Tree Canopy
200 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
Taaffe Playground
Avg 301m away | Score: 3.5/10
Living within 300m of green space associated with 30% fewer antidepressant prescriptions (Taylor et al., 2015)
Acoustic Quality
6/10
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 Brooklyn 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
5.5/10
Borough median: 6.5/10
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
200
Within 200m radius
Canopy Density
9.5/10
Normalized canopy coverage
Park Network
- Taaffe Playground
- Classon Playground
- Greene Playground
- Underwood Park
- Pratt Playground
Avg distance: 301m
Practical Living
Building Types
Who Clinton Hill Is For
Tree-focused urbanists
Canopy density of 9.5/10 and 200 avg trees per 200m radius outpace the borough median outdoor score of 4.6. You get substantial green infrastructure.
Walk-to-work commuters near C/G lines
Direct transit access via Clinton-Washington and Classon stations makes car-free living feasible, though the commute score of 5.5 trails the borough median of 6.5.
Arts-adjacent professionals
Pratt Institute presence and ART/Livability score of 6.8 (vs. borough median 5) reflect cultural density and a growing restaurant/bar footprint.
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Exceptional tree canopy and park access
9.5/10 canopy density and 200 trees within 200m; five named playgrounds within 301m average distance
Strong practical infrastructure
Practical score of 9—highest category—backed by schools, services, and established transit
Livability and arts momentum
ART/Livability score of 6.8 exceeds borough median of 5, driven by Pratt Institute and emerging dining/cultural venues
Walkable building stock
92% walk-ups create street-level pedestrian experience and neighborhood density
Trade-offs
Very high noise complaints
1,683 noise complaints recorded—a material quality-of-life factor to account for
Worsening safety trend
Crime increased +201.8% over 12 months; 1,020 total crimes in past 12 months places neighborhood in high-activity tier (84th percentile)
Below-median commute score
Commute score of 5.5 vs. borough median 6.5; C and G line service is adequate but not premium
Limited transit redundancy
Only two subway lines serving the area (C/G at Clinton-Washington, G at Classon) with no express alternatives
Score Any Address in Clinton Hill
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in Clinton HillFrequently Asked Questions about Clinton Hill
1Is Clinton Hill safe?
By NYPD data, Clinton Hill is rated "Safer Than Average" — safer than 74% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. 1,338 crime incidents and 3 shooting incidents over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Clinton Hill?
Rents in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn vary significantly by building and apartment type. The median listing price is $0. Use DwellCheck to research specific addresses.
3How is transit access in Clinton Hill?
Clinton Hill has a commute score of 5.5/10. 2 subway stations serve the area: Clinton-Washington Avs, Classon Av.
4What are the best streets in Clinton Hill?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Clinton Hill known for?
Clinton Hill sits in Brooklyn and ranks #2 of 32 Brooklyn neighborhoods on DwellCheck's livability score (7/10). It's served by 2 subway stations (Clinton-Washington Avs, Classon Av), with a median listing price of $0. Clinton Hill scores a median 7—excellent green space and practical infrastructure offset by noise, worsening safety trends, and moderate commute options.
6What is it like to live in Clinton Hill?
Living in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn 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). Clinton Hill's composite is 7/10. Clinton Hill scores a median 7—excellent green space and practical infrastructure offset by noise, worsening safety trends, and moderate commute options. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Clinton Hill address through DwellCheck.
7Is Clinton Hill expensive?
Median listing price in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn is $0 based on 12 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 Clinton Hill can run 20-40% below the median; check DHCR rent history for any specific address to verify.
8Can you walk around Clinton Hill at night?
Clinton Hill is classified as "Safer Than Average" by NYPD CompStat data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 3 shooting incidents and 1,338 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 Clinton Hill dangerous?
By NYPD data, Clinton Hill is rated "Safer Than Average" — safer than 74% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. 1,338 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
10What parts of Clinton Hill 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 Clinton Hill a good place to live?
Clinton Hill scores 7/10 for overall livability and ranks in the 74th percentile for safety in Brooklyn. Clinton Hill scores a median 7—excellent green space and practical infrastructure offset by noise, worsening safety trends, and moderate commute options. 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 Clinton Hill?
The composite median is 7.0, with an interquartile range of 6.6–7.4. Practical services score highest (9), while Financial and Investment scores sit at neutral (5.0, unavailable from NYC Open Data). Commute and Safety pull the composite down relative to the borough average.
13How safe is Clinton Hill?
Clinton Hill ranks in the 84th percentile for high-activity neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Over the past 12 months, 1,020 crimes were recorded, and crime has increased 201.8% year-over-year—a significant worsening trend. Noise complaints are also very high at 1,683. Rodent complaints are moderate (260).
14What transit is available?
You have the C and G trains at Clinton-Washington Avenues and the G train at Classon Avenue. The commute score of 5.5 reflects adequate but not superior regional connectivity compared to the borough median of 6.5.
15How much green space and parks are nearby?
Clinton Hill has an exceptional 9.5/10 canopy density with an average of 200 trees within 200 meters. Five named playgrounds (Taaffe, Classon, Greene, Underwood, Pratt) average 301 meters away. The Outdoor score of 7 exceeds the borough median of 4.6.
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