Is Lincoln Square Safe? Manhattan Livability, Crime & Rent
Lincoln Square scores 7.2—a neighborhood where elite commute access and green space compensate for noise and limited cultural diversity, best suited to professionals and arts workers prioritizing transit efficiency over neighborhood scene.
Lincoln Square at a glance
- Borough
- Manhattan
- Livability score
- 7.2/10
- Borough rank
- #6 of 33
- Safety verdict
- Safer Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 3,445
- Median listing
- $0
- Subway stations
- 7 (96 St, 86 St, 81 St-Museum of Natural History)
- Active listings
- 596
- Data updated
- 2026-04-05
Is Lincoln Square Safe?
Lincoln Square, Manhattan scores 7.2/10 for overall livability, ranking #6 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods. Lincoln Square scores 7.2—a neighborhood where elite commute access and green space compensate for noise and limited cultural diversity, best suited to professionals and arts workers prioritizing transit efficiency over neighborhood scene.
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 Lincoln Square address below for a block-level breakdown.
Score Overview
Vertical line = borough median. Scale: 0-10.
Neighborhood Character
Lincoln Square feels like the Upper West Side's more purposeful cousin—tree-lined blocks where you're as likely to pass someone in rehearsal clothes heading to Lincoln Center as you are a parent with a stroller. The neighborhood clusters around the performing arts complex, which shapes everything: you'll notice a quieter, less commercial street-level experience than comparable Manhattan neighborhoods, with fewer chain storefronts and more residential brownstones and mid-rise apartments. The blocks between Columbus and Amsterdam have a studied calm, interrupted by genuine foot traffic tied to the arts institutions rather than tourist appetite. Building character skews toward pre-war walkups and modern residential complexes built in the last 20 years, creating a neighborhood that feels simultaneously established and still settling into its own identity.
Analysis based on 596 properties scored across 30+ data points
Livability & Restoration
Tree Canopy
123 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
Riverside Park South
Avg 383m away | Score: 3/10
Living within 300m of green space associated with 30% fewer antidepressant prescriptions (Taylor et al., 2015)
Acoustic Quality
10/10
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).
In line with the Manhattan 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
9.5/10
Borough median: 8.5/10
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
123
Within 200m radius
Canopy Density
9.5/10
Normalized canopy coverage
Park Network
- Riverside Park South
- Theodore Roosevelt Park
- Lincoln Center Plaza
- Damrosch Park
- Joan Of Arc Park
Avg distance: 383m
Practical Living
Building Types
Who Lincoln Square Is For
Professionals with Manhattan-wide commutes
Commute score of 9.5/10 and six subway lines within 200m (1, 2, 3, A, B, C, D at various stations) give you reliable access downtown, midtown, and across the city without relying on a single line
Arts workers and performing artists
Living steps from Lincoln Center, Juilliard, and the performing arts infrastructure means your workplace is your neighborhood; the cultural anchor justifies the cost in ways it doesn't elsewhere on the UWS
Families seeking green space without chaos
123 trees within 200m and five parks averaging 383m away provide outdoor access; Riverside Park South offers riverfront breathing room without the intensity of Central Park proximity
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Elite public transit access
Commute score 9.5/10 with six subway lines at six different stations within walking distance; 59 St-Columbus Circle alone serves five lines
Exceptional tree canopy and green infrastructure
123 trees within 200m with 9.5/10 canopy density—among the highest in Manhattan; creates genuine seasonal visual change and temperature regulation
Practical neighborhood fundamentals
Practical score 9/10 indicates reliable access to grocery, pharmacy, services; you won't struggle with basic errands or daily needs
Trade-offs
Significant noise complaints relative to Manhattan baseline
Noise score 10/10 (higher = more complaints); street-level activity tied to Lincoln Center events, plus proximity to major avenues generates sustained ambient noise
Limited arts and cultural venues beyond the anchor institution
ART score 4.8/10 suggests most cultural activity clusters at Lincoln Center; independent galleries, studios, and smaller performance spaces are sparse compared to neighborhoods like the Lower East Side or Chelsea
Higher cost relative to practical amenities
Financial score 5/10 (below-average value) means you're paying Upper West Side prices for slightly less density of dining, retail, and secondary cultural institutions
Score Any Address in Lincoln Square
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in Lincoln SquareFrequently Asked Questions about Lincoln Square
1Is Lincoln Square safe?
By NYPD data, Lincoln Square is rated "Safer Than Average" — safer than 62% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 3,445 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 Lincoln Square?
Rents in Lincoln Square, Manhattan vary significantly by building and apartment type. The median listing price is $0. Use DwellCheck to research specific addresses.
3How is transit access in Lincoln Square?
Lincoln Square has a commute score of 9.5/10. 7 subway stations serve the area: 96 St, 86 St, 81 St-Museum of Natural History.
4What are the best streets in Lincoln Square?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Lincoln Square known for?
Lincoln Square sits in Manhattan and ranks #6 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods on DwellCheck's livability score (7.2/10). It's served by 7 subway stations (96 St, 86 St, 81 St-Museum of Natural History), with a median listing price of $0. Lincoln Square scores 7.2—a neighborhood where elite commute access and green space compensate for noise and limited cultural diversity, best suited to professionals and arts workers prioritizing transit efficiency over neighborhood scene.
6What is it like to live in Lincoln Square?
Living in Lincoln Square, Manhattan 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). Lincoln Square's composite is 7.2/10. Lincoln Square scores 7.2—a neighborhood where elite commute access and green space compensate for noise and limited cultural diversity, best suited to professionals and arts workers prioritizing transit efficiency over neighborhood scene. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Lincoln Square address through DwellCheck.
7Is Lincoln Square expensive?
Median listing price in Lincoln Square, Manhattan is $0 based on 596 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 Lincoln Square can run 20-40% below the median; check DHCR rent history for any specific address to verify.
8Can you walk around Lincoln Square at night?
Lincoln Square is classified as "Safer Than Average" by NYPD CompStat data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 1 shooting incident and 3,445 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 Lincoln Square dangerous?
By NYPD data, Lincoln Square is rated "Safer Than Average" — safer than 62% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 3,445 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
10What parts of Lincoln Square 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 Lincoln Square a good place to live?
Lincoln Square scores 7.2/10 for overall livability and ranks in the 62th percentile for safety in Manhattan. Lincoln Square scores 7.2—a neighborhood where elite commute access and green space compensate for noise and limited cultural diversity, best suited to professionals and arts workers prioritizing transit efficiency over neighborhood scene. 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 Lincoln Square?
7.2 composite, with Commute (9.5/10) and Practical (9/10) as primary strengths, offset by noise complaints (10/10) and limited arts venues (4.8/10)
13How does Lincoln Square compare to the broader Upper West Side?
Both neighborhoods share high Commute and Practical scores, but Lincoln Square trades Upper West Side's distributed cultural amenities for a single dominant institution (Lincoln Center), resulting in lower ART score but distinct character
14Which subway lines serve Lincoln Square and how many options do you have?
Six lines (1, 2, 3, A, B, C, D) across six stations: 59 St-Columbus Circle (5 lines), 72 St (4 lines), 66 St-Lincoln Center (1 line), 81 St-Museum (2 lines), 86 St (3 lines), 96 St (4 lines)—exceptional redundancy
15How much green space is actually near Lincoln Square?
123 trees within 200m at 9.5/10 canopy density, plus five parks averaging 383m away (Riverside Park South, Theodore Roosevelt Park, Lincoln Center Plaza, Damrosch Park, Joan of Arc Park)—more accessible than Central Park alone
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