Is Murray Hill Safe? Manhattan Livability, Crime & Rent
Murray Hill scores 6.1 median—a practical, transit-rich Midtown neighborhood that trades character for convenience, with improving tree cover and safety undercut by noise and rising crime.
Murray Hill at a glance
- Borough
- Manhattan
- Livability score
- 6.1/10
- Borough rank
- #24 of 33
- Safety verdict
- Safer Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 2,888
- Median listing
- $0
- Subway stations
- 1 (Grand Central-42 St)
- Active listings
- 10
- Data updated
- 2026-04-05
Is Murray Hill Safe?
Murray Hill, Manhattan scores 6.1/10 for overall livability, ranking #24 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods. Murray Hill scores 6.1 median—a practical, transit-rich Midtown neighborhood that trades character for convenience, with improving tree cover and safety undercut 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 Murray Hill address below for a block-level breakdown.
Score Overview
Vertical line = borough median. Scale: 0-10.
Neighborhood Character
Murray Hill is a vertical neighborhood where you'll navigate between high-rises (70% of the building stock) and tree-lined blocks that feel denser than the borough average. You'll find 67 trees within a 200-meter radius on a typical block, with a canopy density of 9.5/10—real shade in Midtown. The East River Esplanade and five nearby parks (averaging 495 meters away) give you waterfront access and green space, though noise complaints run very high at 6,225 annually. Grand Central-42 Street station (4, 5, 6, 7, S lines) anchors your transit options. The neighborhood reads as young professional: dense, convenient, loud, and relentlessly practical.
Analysis based on 10 properties scored across 30+ data points
Livability & Restoration
Tree Canopy
67 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
St. Vartan Park
Avg 495m away | Score: 2.7/10
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
4.5/10
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
67
Within 200m radius
Canopy Density
9.5/10
Normalized canopy coverage
Park Network
- St. Vartan Park
- Asser Levy Playground
- East River Esplanade
- Bellevue South Park
- Robert Moses Playground
Avg distance: 495m
Practical Living
Building Types
Who Murray Hill Is For
Commuters prioritizing transit access
Practical score of 9 (well above borough median of 5.8) reflects excellent walkability and immediate subway proximity. Low commute friction if your workplace is on these lines.
Safety-conscious renters
Safety percentile of 77% in borough means fewer crimes relative to Manhattan average, though total crime count (2,084 over 12 months) and worsening trend (+147.2%) warrant attention.
People who need predictable urban infrastructure
High-rise heavy, low rodent complaints (132), established dining district. Suits those seeking order over neighborhood character; livability and arts scores lag borough average.
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Subway-adjacent living
Grand Central-42 St serves 4, 5, 6, 7, and S lines; practical score of 9 reflects seamless Midtown connectivity
Dense tree canopy for Midtown
67 average trees per 200m with 9.5/10 canopy density—above borough standards for shade and air quality
Waterfront and park access
Five parks within 495m including East River Esplanade and Asser Levy Playground; outdoor score of 5.3 (above borough average of 4.2)
Relative safety in Manhattan terms
77th percentile for safety in borough; rodent complaints low at 132 annually
Trade-offs
Severe noise pollution
6,225 noise complaints annually—classified as very high. Plan for persistent urban noise.
Worsening crime trend
Crime up 147.2% year-over-year despite above-average safety ranking; 2,084 crimes in trailing 12 months shows momentum problem
Limited neighborhood character
Art/livability score of 4.8 lags borough median of 5.5; largely chain dining and high-rise residential, less distinctive than adjacent neighborhoods
High-rise dominance
70% of buildings are high-rise; limited brownstone/walk-up texture; fewer ground-level retail and community spaces
Score Any Address in Murray Hill
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in Murray HillFrequently Asked Questions about Murray Hill
1Is Murray Hill safe?
By NYPD data, Murray Hill is rated "Safer Than Average" — safer than 68% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 2,888 crime incidents and 0 shooting incidents over the past 12 months. See the safety page for the full breakdown.
2What is the average rent in Murray Hill?
Rents in Murray Hill, 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 Murray Hill?
Murray Hill has a commute score of 4.5/10. 1 subway stations serve the area: Grand Central-42 St.
4What are the best streets in Murray Hill?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is Murray Hill known for?
Murray Hill sits in Manhattan and ranks #24 of 33 Manhattan neighborhoods on DwellCheck's livability score (6.1/10). It's served by 1 subway station (Grand Central-42 St), with a median listing price of $0. Murray Hill scores 6.1 median—a practical, transit-rich Midtown neighborhood that trades character for convenience, with improving tree cover and safety undercut by noise and rising crime.
6What is it like to live in Murray Hill?
Living in Murray Hill, 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). Murray Hill's composite is 6.1/10. Murray Hill scores 6.1 median—a practical, transit-rich Midtown neighborhood that trades character for convenience, with improving tree cover and safety undercut by noise and rising crime. For the block-by-block view, run any specific Murray Hill address through DwellCheck.
7Is Murray Hill expensive?
Median listing price in Murray Hill, Manhattan is $0 based on 10 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 Murray Hill can run 20-40% below the median; check DHCR rent history for any specific address to verify.
8Can you walk around Murray Hill at night?
Murray Hill is classified as "Safer Than Average" by NYPD CompStat data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 0 shooting incidents and 2,888 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 Murray Hill dangerous?
By NYPD data, Murray Hill is rated "Safer Than Average" — safer than 68% of Manhattan neighborhoods. 2,888 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
10What parts of Murray 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 Murray Hill a good place to live?
Murray Hill scores 6.1/10 for overall livability and ranks in the 68th percentile for safety in Manhattan. Murray Hill scores 6.1 median—a practical, transit-rich Midtown neighborhood that trades character for convenience, with improving tree cover and safety undercut 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 Murray Hill?
6.1 median (interquartile range 5.7–6.5). Practical infrastructure (9/10) drives the composite; livability (4.8) and commute friction (4.5) pull it down relative to borough medians.
13How safe is Murray Hill?
Safety percentile of 77% places it above most Manhattan neighborhoods. However, crime is worsening at +147.2% year-over-year, with 2,084 reported crimes in the trailing 12 months. Noise complaints are very high (6,225).
14What's the transit situation?
Grand Central-42 Street is the primary hub, serving the 4, 5, 6, 7, and S lines. This drives the neighborhood's excellent practical score (9/10) but also contributes to high noise complaint volume.
15How much green space is there?
You'll find an average of 67 trees within 200 meters on a typical block with 9.5/10 canopy density—above borough average. Five parks within 495m include the East River Esplanade, St. Vartan Park, and Asser Levy Playground.
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