Is West Brighton Safe? Staten Island Livability, Crime & Rent
West Brighton is a green, walkable neighborhood built for car owners who value tree cover and park access—but limited transit and rising crime are significant headwinds (composite score: 5.7).
West Brighton at a glance
- Borough
- Staten Island
- Livability score
- 5.7/10
- Borough rank
- #7 of 15
- Safety verdict
- Higher Than Average
- Crimes (12 mo)
- 1,702
- Median listing
- $0
- Subway stations
- 0
- Active listings
- 4
- Data updated
- 2026-04-05
Is West Brighton Safe?
West Brighton, Staten Island scores 5.7/10 for overall livability, ranking #7 of 15 Staten Island neighborhoods. West Brighton is a green, walkable neighborhood built for car owners who value tree cover and park access—but limited transit and rising crime are significant headwinds (composite score: 5.7).
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 West Brighton address below for a block-level breakdown.
Score Overview
Vertical line = borough median. Scale: 0-10.
Neighborhood Character
West Brighton is a densely tree-covered residential neighborhood where you'll walk under a canopy averaging 63 trees per 200-meter radius and a canopy density of 9.5/10—among the greenest blocks in Staten Island. You're surrounded by walk-up buildings (75% of tracked stock) on quiet streets punctuated by parks: Silver Lake Park, Goodhue Park, Allison Pond Park, and Barrett Park all sit within roughly 800 meters. The trade-off is immediate: transit here is severely limited, with a commute score of 1 (borough median: 2.5), meaning you'll rely on a car or face long waits. The neighborhood registers high noise complaints (1,237 over 12 months) and crime has worsened significantly (+140.2% trend), though current crime activity sits at the borough median (49th percentile).
Analysis based on 4 properties scored across 30+ data points
Livability & Restoration
Tree Canopy
63 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
Silver Lake Park
Avg 798m away | Score: 2.2/10
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 Staten Island 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
No transit data available
Commute Score
1/10
Borough median: 2.5/10
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
63
Within 200m radius
Canopy Density
9.5/10
Normalized canopy coverage
Park Network
- Silver Lake Park
- Goodhue Park
- Allison Pond Park
- Barrett Park
- Snug Harbor Cemetery
Avg distance: 798m
Practical Living
Building Types
Who West Brighton Is For
Car-dependent households prioritizing green space
Practical score of 9 reflects walkable, car-friendly infrastructure. Dense tree coverage (63 avg, 9.5/10 canopy) and four nearby parks make outdoor living viable if you drive to amenities.
Families seeking affordable, residential stability
Neighborhood highlights note affordable housing stock. Walk-up buildings (75%) and mid-rise options provide family-scale living; low rodent complaints (96) suggest acceptable maintenance standards.
Art/culture enthusiasts with transportation
ART/Livability score of 6.8 (above borough median of 5) and Snug Harbor proximity offer cultural access. Requires personal transport; transit score of 1 eliminates transit-based exploration.
Pros & Cons
Strengths
Exceptional tree coverage and canopy
Average 63 trees within 200m radius; canopy density 9.5/10—among Staten Island's most forested neighborhoods
Multiple parks within walking distance
Silver Lake, Goodhue, Allison Pond, and Barrett Parks all average 798m away; Snug Harbor nearby for cultural programming
High practical walkability for a Staten Island neighborhood
Practical score of 9 (borough median: 5.5) reflects strong local infrastructure and accessibility on foot for daily errands
Low rodent complaints
96 rodent complaints over 12 months indicates better-maintained building stock than other areas
Trade-offs
Severely limited public transit
Commute score of 1 (borough median: 2.5)—you'll need a car for most trips outside the immediate neighborhood
High noise complaints
1,237 noise complaints logged in the past 12 months (Very High category)—suggests traffic, construction, or activity-related noise issues
Worsening crime trend
Crime increased 140.2% over recent period; total crime sits at 1,213 incidents over 12 months, though current activity level is at borough median
Below-average financial and investment scores
Both financial and investment scores at 5.0 (borough medians: 6 and 5 respectively); financial score lags slightly behind borough baseline
Score Any Address in West Brighton
Get detailed livability scores based on building health, transit access, safety, noise levels, and 15+ NYC data sources.
Search an Address in West BrightonFrequently Asked Questions about West Brighton
1Is West Brighton safe?
By NYPD data, West Brighton is rated "Higher Than Average" — safer than 29% of Staten Island neighborhoods. 1,702 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 West Brighton?
Rents in West Brighton, Staten Island vary significantly by building and apartment type. The median listing price is $0. Use DwellCheck to research specific addresses.
3How is transit access in West Brighton?
West Brighton has a commute score of 1/10. 0 subway stations serve the area: .
4What are the best streets in West Brighton?
The best streets depend on your priorities. Use DwellCheck to compare specific addresses across livability, safety, transit, and environmental factors.
5What is West Brighton known for?
West Brighton sits in Staten Island and ranks #7 of 15 Staten Island neighborhoods on DwellCheck's livability score (5.7/10). It's served by 0 subway stations, with a median listing price of $0. West Brighton is a green, walkable neighborhood built for car owners who value tree cover and park access—but limited transit and rising crime are significant headwinds (composite score: 5.7).
6What is it like to live in West Brighton?
Living in West Brighton, Staten Island 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). West Brighton's composite is 5.7/10. West Brighton is a green, walkable neighborhood built for car owners who value tree cover and park access—but limited transit and rising crime are significant headwinds (composite score: 5.7). For the block-by-block view, run any specific West Brighton address through DwellCheck.
7Is West Brighton expensive?
Median listing price in West Brighton, Staten Island is $0 based on 4 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 West Brighton can run 20-40% below the median; check DHCR rent history for any specific address to verify.
8Can you walk around West Brighton at night?
West Brighton is classified as "Higher Than Average" by NYPD CompStat data. Over the past 12 months it recorded 1 shooting incident and 1,702 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 West Brighton dangerous?
By NYPD data, West Brighton is rated "Higher Than Average" — safer than 29% of Staten Island neighborhoods. 1,702 crime incidents over 12 months. Block-level risk varies; check the address-level safety score for any specific street or building.
10What parts of West Brighton 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 West Brighton a good place to live?
West Brighton scores 5.7/10 for overall livability and ranks in the 29th percentile for safety in Staten Island. West Brighton is a green, walkable neighborhood built for car owners who value tree cover and park access—but limited transit and rising crime are significant headwinds (composite score: 5.7). 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 West Brighton?
The median composite score is 5.7 (interquartile range: 5.3–6.1). Scores are driven by exceptional practical livability (9) and above-average art/culture access (6.8), offset by a commute score of 1 and below-median financial outlook.
13How is transit access here?
Transit access is severely limited. West Brighton's commute score of 1 (borough median: 2.5) means public transportation is not a reliable option; a personal vehicle is required for most destinations outside immediate walking distance.
14Is this neighborhood safe?
Crime activity is currently at the borough median (49th percentile), but the trend is concerning: crime rose 140.2% over the recent period. Total crimes logged 1,213 incidents over 12 months. Noise complaints are very high (1,237), though rodent complaints are low (96).
15What's the building stock like?
West Brighton is predominantly walk-up buildings (75% of tracked inventory) with some mid-rise options (25%). This reflects older, smaller-scale residential development typical of outer Staten Island. Only 4 buildings are currently tracked in DwellCheck's system.
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