Is Ditmas Park Safe? Brooklyn Livability, Crime & Rent
Ditmas Park scores a median 6.5: a leafy, practical, walk-up neighborhood with strong canopy and safety credentials, but rising crime and noise are active concerns.
Ditmas Park at a glance
- Borough
- Brooklyn
- Livability score
- 6.5/10
- Borough rank
- #6 of 32
- Safety verdict
- Safer Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 1,648
- Median listing
- $0
- Subway stations
- 2 (Church Av, Ditmas Av)
- Active listings
- 7
- Data updated
- 2026-04-05
Is Ditmas Park Safe?
Ditmas Park, Brooklyn scores 6.5/10 for overall livability, ranking #6 of 32 Brooklyn neighborhoods. Ditmas Park scores a median 6.5: a leafy, practical, walk-up neighborhood with strong canopy and safety credentials, but rising crime and noise are active concerns.
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 Ditmas Park address below for a block-level breakdown.
Score Overview
Vertical line = borough median. Scale: 0-10.
Neighborhood Character
You'll find yourself on tree-lined blocks where Victorian homes and low-rise walk-ups dominate—every address is a walk-up, giving the neighborhood a consistent, human-scaled feel. The canopy density here is exceptional at 9.5/10, with an average of 132 trees within a 200-meter radius, creating a genuinely leafy streetscape. Cortelyou Road anchors the area with dining and local commerce, while the F and G trains at Church Avenue and F train at Ditmas Avenue keep you connected to the rest of the city. The suburban bones are real: Albemarle Playground sits roughly 700 meters away, and the blocks feel quieter than much of Brooklyn.
Analysis based on 7 properties scored across 30+ data points
Livability & Restoration
Tree Canopy
132 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
Albemarle Playground
Avg 704m away | Score: 2.4/10
Living within 300m of green space associated with 30% fewer antidepressant prescriptions (Taylor et al., 2015)
Acoustic Quality
7/10
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
132
Within 200m radius
Canopy Density
9.5/10
Normalized canopy coverage
Park Network
- Albemarle Playground
Avg distance: 704m
Practical Living
Building Types
Who Ditmas Park Is For
Tree-focused residents
Canopy density of 9.5/10 and 132 average trees per 200m radius—among the highest-canopied blocks in the borough. ART/Livability score of 6.3 reflects this greenery advantage.
Safety-conscious renters
Safety percentile of 87% in the borough means you're in a safer pocket; rodent complaints are low at 162. The tradeoff: crime is worsening (+171.3% over 12 months) and noise complaints are very high at 1,813.
Low-maintenance commuters
Practical score of 9/10—the highest in the borough—reflects straightforward transit access and no-frills building stock. Commute score of 5.5 is below borough average but acceptable via F/G trains.
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Exceptional tree canopy
9.5/10 canopy density with 132 trees per 200m radius—dense green coverage supports the suburban feel.
Strong practical infrastructure
Practical score of 9/10 (borough median: 5.5). Walk-up buildings only; straightforward, no-luxury stock.
Above-average neighborhood safety
Safety percentile of 87% in the borough; low rodent complaints at 162 indicate well-maintained blocks.
Direct transit access
F and G trains at Church Avenue, F train at Ditmas Avenue. Multiple lines reduce dependency on single route.
Trade-offs
Rapidly worsening crime
Crime trend up 171.3% over the past 12 months despite current safety percentile of 87%. 814 total crimes in 12-month period shows absolute volume.
Very high noise complaints
1,813 noise complaints—a significant outlier suggesting persistent street-level noise issues.
Below-average commute score
Commute score of 5.5 vs. borough median of 6.5. F/G trains are present but not as comprehensive as other Brooklyn areas.
Limited outdoor amenities nearby
Outdoor score of 4.7 with Albemarle Playground averaging 704m away. Lower park access than borough median of 4.6.
Score Any Address in Ditmas Park
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in Ditmas ParkFrequently Asked Questions about Ditmas Park
1Is Ditmas Park safe?
By NYPD data, Ditmas Park is rated "Safer Than Average" — safer than 74% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. 1,648 crime incidents and 1 shooting incident over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Ditmas Park?
Rents in Ditmas Park, 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 Ditmas Park?
Ditmas Park has a commute score of 5.5/10. 2 subway stations serve the area: Church Av, Ditmas Av.
4What are the best streets in Ditmas Park?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Ditmas Park known for?
Ditmas Park sits in Brooklyn and ranks #6 of 32 Brooklyn neighborhoods on DwellCheck's livability score (6.5/10). It's served by 2 subway stations (Church Av, Ditmas Av), with a median listing price of $0. Ditmas Park scores a median 6.5: a leafy, practical, walk-up neighborhood with strong canopy and safety credentials, but rising crime and noise are active concerns.
6What is it like to live in Ditmas Park?
Living in Ditmas Park, 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). Ditmas Park's composite is 6.5/10. Ditmas Park scores a median 6.5: a leafy, practical, walk-up neighborhood with strong canopy and safety credentials, but rising crime and noise are active concerns. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Ditmas Park address through DwellCheck.
7Is Ditmas Park expensive?
Median listing price in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn is $0 based on 7 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 Ditmas Park can run 20-40% below the median; check DHCR rent history for any specific address to verify.
8Can you walk around Ditmas Park at night?
Ditmas Park is classified as "Safer Than Average" by NYPD CompStat data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 1 shooting incident and 1,648 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 Ditmas Park dangerous?
By NYPD data, Ditmas Park is rated "Safer Than Average" — safer than 74% of Brooklyn neighborhoods. 1,648 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
10What parts of Ditmas Park 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 Ditmas Park a good place to live?
Ditmas Park scores 6.5/10 for overall livability and ranks in the 74th percentile for safety in Brooklyn. Ditmas Park scores a median 6.5: a leafy, practical, walk-up neighborhood with strong canopy and safety credentials, but rising crime and noise are active concerns. 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 Ditmas Park?
Median composite score is 6.5 (interquartile range 6.1–6.9). The Practical score of 9/10 is your biggest advantage; Financial (5), Investment (5), and Commute (5.5) sit at or below borough medians.
13Is Ditmas Park safe?
Current safety percentile is 87% in the borough—you're in a safer pocket. However, crime has worsened 171.3% in the past 12 months with 814 total crimes. Noise complaints are very high at 1,813, suggesting street-level disturbances, though rodent complaints are low.
14What is the building stock like?
100% walk-ups. Victorian homes and low-rise walk-ups define the block face—no elevator buildings tracked in the 7 monitored addresses. This keeps rent accessible but also limits options for those needing elevator access.
15How green is Ditmas Park?
Canopy density of 9.5/10 with an average of 132 trees per 200-meter radius—among Brooklyn's most tree-dense neighborhoods. ART/Livability score of 6.3 reflects this advantage. Albemarle Playground is the nearest park at ~700m average distance.
16How is transit access?
F and G trains serve Church Avenue; F train serves Ditmas Avenue. Commute score of 5.5 is below the borough median of 6.5, meaning reliable but not premium transit coverage. Multiple lines reduce single-route dependency.
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