Is Crown Heights Safe? Brooklyn Livability, Crime & Rent
Crown Heights scores a middle-of-the-road 5.9—solid transit and financial fundamentals offset weaker commute times and cultural density for pragmatic buyers.
Crown Heights at a glance
- Borough
- Brooklyn
- Livability score
- 5.9/10
- Borough rank
- #15 of 32
- Safety verdict
- Much Higher Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 9,739
- Median listing
- $1.3M
- Subway stations
- 10 (Franklin Av-Medgar Evers College/Botanic Garden, Kingston Av, President St-Medgar Evers College)
- Active listings
- 103
- Data updated
- 2026-04-04
Is Crown Heights Safe?
Crown Heights, Brooklyn scores 5.9/10 for overall livability, ranking #15 of 32 Brooklyn neighborhoods. Crown Heights scores a middle-of-the-road 5.9—solid transit and financial fundamentals offset weaker commute times and cultural density for pragmatic buyers.
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 Crown Heights address below for a block-level breakdown.
Score Overview
Vertical line = borough median. Scale: 0-10.
Neighborhood Character
Crown Heights is a dense, mixed-income neighborhood where you'll walk tree-lined blocks—averaging 172 trees within 200 meters—past Caribbean restaurants, bodegas, and brownstones. The Brooklyn Museum anchors the eastern edge, and Prospect Park sits roughly 2.3 kilometers away, accessible via multiple transit lines (2, 3, 4, 5, S trains cluster around Franklin Avenue and Eastern Parkway). You'll encounter heavy foot traffic on main streets, storefront churches alongside galleries, and a neighborhood that feels lived-in rather than polished. The canopy is moderate at 4.7/10 density, so summer heat hits the pavement.
Analysis based on 103 properties scored across 30+ data points
Livability & Restoration
Tree Canopy
172 trees
Avg within 200m | Density: 4.7/10
10 additional trees per block correlates with health benefits equivalent to being 7 years younger (Kardan et al., 2015)
Park Access
Prospect Park
Avg 2305m away | Score: 2.3/10
Living within 300m of green space associated with 30% fewer antidepressant prescriptions (Taylor et al., 2015)
Acoustic Quality
5/10
Noise proxy score (higher = quieter)
Chronic noise above 55 dB at night associated with 8% cardiovascular mortality increase (Basner et al., 2014)
Street Character
10/10
Enclosure: 10/10
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).
In line with the Brooklyn median — typical city stimulus with typical restorative access.
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
6.4/10
Borough median: 8/10
Walk Score Proxy
10/10
Based on street geometry analysis
Financial Landscape
Median Price
$1.3M
Price per Sq Ft
$1109
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
89
Market velocity signal
Multi-Family Stock
17%
2-4 family buildings
Multi-family owner-occupants build 2.4x wealth vs single-family (Herbert, 2013)
Outdoor & Green Space
Avg Tree Count
172
Within 200m radius
Canopy Density
4.7/10
Normalized canopy coverage
Park Network
- Prospect Park
- Fort Greene Park
Avg distance: 2305m
Outdoor Space Types
Practical Living
Building Types
Bedroom Distribution
Laundry Availability
Who Crown Heights Is For
Long-term investor
Investment score of 6.3 (above borough median of 5.8) and median prices of $1.3M suggest stable property values; 79% condo ownership offers liquidity
Museum and culture proximity seeker
Brooklyn Museum is steps away; livability score of 5.3 reflects walkable cultural institutions and diverse dining, though not high nightlife/entertainment density
Transit-dependent commuter
Commute score of 6.4 is below borough median (8.0), but seven subway lines serve the neighborhood—adequate for outer-borough connectivity, not premium
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Strong transit access
Seven subway lines (2, 3, 4, 5, S, C) serve the neighborhood, with Franklin Avenue and Eastern Parkway as major hubs
Above-average financial resilience
Financial score of 6.4 versus borough median of 5.7; median price $1.3M with solid condo majority (79%)
Mature tree canopy
Average 172 trees within 200m provides street-level shade and green infrastructure above borough standards
Cultural anchor nearby
Brooklyn Museum location supports walkable arts programming and foot traffic
Trade-offs
Below-average commute efficiency
Commute score of 6.4 lags borough median of 8.0, indicating longer travel times to major employment centers
Moderate livability and arts density
ART/Livability score of 5.3 versus borough median of 5.0—marginal gain; nightlife and cultural venue concentration is modest
Limited green space immediately accessible
Prospect Park and Fort Greene Park average 2.3km away; canopy density of 4.7/10 is adequate but not exceptional
Slower property turnover
Average 89 days on market suggests moderate liquidity; no recent price appreciation data available
Score Any Address in Crown Heights
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in Crown HeightsFrequently Asked Questions about Crown Heights
1Is Crown Heights safe?
By NYPD data, Crown Heights is rated "Much Higher Than Average" — safer than 24% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. 9,739 crime incidents and 19 shooting incidents over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Crown Heights?
Rents in Crown Heights, Brooklyn vary significantly by building and apartment type. The median listing price is $1.3M. Use DwellCheck to research specific addresses.
3How is transit access in Crown Heights?
Crown Heights has a commute score of 6.4/10. 10 subway stations serve the area: Franklin Av-Medgar Evers College/Botanic Garden, Kingston Av, President St-Medgar Evers College.
4What are the best streets in Crown Heights?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Crown Heights known for?
Crown Heights sits in Brooklyn and ranks #15 of 32 Brooklyn neighborhoods on DwellCheck's livability score (5.9/10). It's served by 10 subway stations (Franklin Av-Medgar Evers College/Botanic Garden, Kingston Av, President St-Medgar Evers College), with a median listing price of $1.3M. Crown Heights scores a middle-of-the-road 5.9—solid transit and financial fundamentals offset weaker commute times and cultural density for pragmatic buyers.
6What is it like to live in Crown Heights?
Living in Crown Heights, 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). Crown Heights's composite is 5.9/10. Crown Heights scores a middle-of-the-road 5.9—solid transit and financial fundamentals offset weaker commute times and cultural density for pragmatic buyers. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Crown Heights address through DwellCheck.
7Is Crown Heights expensive?
Median listing price in Crown Heights, Brooklyn is $1.3M based on 103 active listings as of 2026-04-04. Whether that reads "expensive" depends on the comparison: it's lower than Manhattan averages and varies considerably by building. Rent-stabilized units in Crown Heights can run 20-40% below the median; check DHCR rent history for any specific address to verify.
8Can you walk around Crown Heights at night?
Crown Heights is classified as "Much Higher Than Average" by NYPD CompStat data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 19 shooting incidents and 9,739 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 Crown Heights dangerous?
By NYPD data, Crown Heights is rated "Much Higher Than Average" — safer than 24% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. 9,739 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
10What parts of Crown Heights 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 Crown Heights a good place to live?
Crown Heights scores 5.9/10 for overall livability and ranks in the 24th percentile for safety in Brooklyn. Crown Heights scores a middle-of-the-road 5.9—solid transit and financial fundamentals offset weaker commute times and cultural density for pragmatic buyers. 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 Crown Heights?
Median composite score is 5.9 (interquartile range 5.0–6.8). Practical (6.6) and commute (6.4) scores drive the middle-tier ranking; livability (5.3) and outdoor access (5.6) lag.
13How does Crown Heights compare to Brooklyn overall?
Financial (6.4 vs. 5.7), Investment (6.3 vs. 5.8), and Outdoor (5.6 vs. 4.6) scores exceed borough medians. Commute (6.4 vs. 8.0) and ART/Livability (5.3 vs. 5.0) underperform.
14What are median prices and market velocity?
Median price is $1,299,000 at $1,109/sqft. Properties average 89 days on market; year-over-year appreciation data is unavailable. Condos dominate at 79% of listings.
15How walkable is Crown Heights?
Practical score of 6.6 indicates moderate walkability. Seven subway lines serve the neighborhood, but commute score of 6.4 reflects longer trips to major job centers. Tree density (172 trees per 200m) supports pedestrian comfort.
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