The safest neighborhoods in Queens by violent crime are Bayside, Douglaston, and Little Neck, followed by Forest Hills and Rego Park. Bayside’s 111th Precinct reports just 1.3 violent crimes per 1,000 residents in NYPD data through Nov. 1, 2026, compared with 3.4 across Queens.
Low violent crime doesn’t mean no crime, though. Several of these areas have high vehicle theft or rising grand larceny, so check which risks matter most to you.
Key takeaways
- Northeast Queens has the borough’s lowest violent crime rate, at 1.3.
- Forest Hills and Rego Park have reported no murders or shooting incidents this year.
- Major crime in Forest Hills and Rego Park is up 23.8%, mostly grand larceny.
- Burglaries in Bayside’s precinct fell from 265 to 98.
- Flushing and Whitestone’s precinct has the most vehicle thefts in Queens.
The safest neighborhoods in Queens ranked
These six areas have the lowest violent crime rates in Queens so far in 2026.
| Rank | Area | NYPD precinct | Violent crimes per 1,000 | Murders | Shooting incidents | Major crime this year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck, Auburndale | 111th | 1.3 | 0 | 1 | Down 14.9% |
| 2 | Forest Hills, Rego Park | 112th | 1.9 | 0 | 0 | Up 23.8% |
| 3 | Fresh Meadows | 107th | 2.1 | 4 | 1 | Down 2.3% |
| 4 | Flushing, College Point, Whitestone | 109th | 2.2 | 7 | 4 | Down 14.4% |
| 5 | Ridgewood, Glendale, Middle Village, Maspeth | 104th | 2.6 | 0 | 6 | Up 3.2% |
| 6 | Queens Village, Laurelton, Rosedale | 105th, 116th | 2.8 | 4 | 7 | Down 12.5% |
Violent crime here means NYPD’s murder, rape, robbery, and felony assault counts for Jan. 1 to Nov. 1, 2026. We divided those counts by each precinct’s 2020 census population. We combined the 105th and 116th precincts because the 116th—which now covers Laurelton and Rosedale—was carved out of the 105th after the 2020 census, leaving no separate 2020 population count for it.
To see all of Queens, including areas with higher rates, read our guide on whether Queens is safe for living.
From the field: According to Ian Dahlberg, founder of Dahlcore, client perception doesn’t always line up with precinct rankings. While areas like Bayside, Forest Hills, and Astoria feel calm and tight-knit on the surface, the NYPD numbers only match part of that picture. Across Dahlcore’s Queens accounts, Ian notes that Bayside backs up its quiet reputation with the borough’s lowest violent crime rate (1.3 per 1,000), whereas Astoria (2.9) misses the top six altogether despite feeling similarly safe day-to-day. For example, a residential property manager in Astoria assumed a building needed minimal overnight oversight because its tree-lined block felt peaceful, yet foot traffic spilling over from nearby commercial corridors led to repeated after-hours bike and vestibule thefts until entry access was tightened.
Bayside, Douglaston, and Little Neck
This part of northeast Queens is the safest in the borough by violent crime. The 111th Precinct has reported no murders and only 36 robberies this year.
Burglaries fell sharply, from 265 to 98. Vehicle theft is the weak spot. At 2.3 per 1,000 residents, it’s above the Queens average of 1.6, so think about where you’ll park.
Forest Hills and Rego Park
Forest Hills and Rego Park are low in violent crime but rising in theft. The 112th Precinct has reported no murders and no shooting incidents this year.
Major crime rose 23.8%, however, from 814 to 1,008. Most of that rise is grand larceny, which climbed from 334 to 498. This area stays near the top for personal safety, but keep an eye on packages, bags, and bikes.
On the ground in Forest Hills: Earlier this year, a co-op board near Austin Street reached out to Dahlcore after residents started losing high-value deliveries almost weekly—even though the block itself had zero violent incidents and felt completely calm at night. When the Dahlcore security team walked the building during the 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. delivery rush, the issue wasn’t a broken lock; delivery drivers were propping open the inner vestibule door, and opportunists were slipping in behind tenants carrying groceries. Moving the package drop behind a key-fobbed inner door and adjusting lobby coverage during peak afternoon hours stopped the thefts within two weeks.
What you can do: To enjoy the calm, walkable lifestyle Forest Hills offers without the stress of stolen belongings, don’t hold your building’s inner door open for strangers, store bikes inside rather than on street racks, and send high-value packages to a secure pickup locker.
Fresh Meadows
Fresh Meadows is a steady, lower-crime choice. The 107th Precinct has a rate of 2.1, and burglaries fell from 178 to 118. It has reported 4 murders this year, up from 3, so a low rate doesn’t mean no serious crime.
Flushing, College Point, and Whitestone
The 109th Precinct has a low rate, but it covers a big area with very different neighborhoods. Major crime fell 14.4%, and burglaries were cut nearly in half, from 384 to 194.
It also has Queens’ most vehicle thefts, at 549, and 7 murders this year. With about 270,000 residents, it’s the largest precinct on this list. While NYPD reports one combined figure for the whole precinct, day-to-day life in quiet, residential Whitestone feels very different from busy downtown Flushing.
Ridgewood, Glendale, and Middle Village
This area of western Queens has reported no murders this year. The 104th Precinct has a rate of 2.6, though robberies rose from 129 to 173 and shooting incidents rose from 4 to 6. The NYPD doesn’t break these numbers down by neighborhood, though locally, Ridgewood’s busy commercial border with Brooklyn sees much more foot traffic than the quieter residential streets of Middle Village and Glendale.
Queens Village, Laurelton, and Rosedale
Queens Village (105th Precinct) and Laurelton and Rosedale (tracked by the NYPD under the newer 116th Precinct) have a combined violent crime rate of 2.8, and major crime across the two precincts is down 12.5%. Shooting incidents rose from 3 to 7, however, so check recent activity on your specific block.
Why some popular neighborhoods aren’t on this list
Some well-loved neighborhoods rank lower on the numbers than you might expect. This doesn’t mean they’re unsafe. You’ll often see places like Middle Village (in the 5th-ranked 104th Precinct) or Kew Gardens (in the 102nd, just outside our top six) listed first in search summaries, but we ranked strictly by precinct-wide violent crime rates rather than reputation. It means the data is more mixed.
- Sunnyside, Woodside, and Long Island City: The 108th Precinct has no shooting incidents this year, but its major crime rate is about 12.4 per 1,000 residents, above the Queens average of 9.1. Major crime there rose 12.3%.
- Astoria: The 114th Precinct’s violent crime rate of 2.9 is below the Queens average, and major crime is down 7.7%. It just misses this list.
- Kew Gardens and Richmond Hill: The 102nd Precinct also has a rate of 2.9.
How to choose the right Queens neighborhood
Decide which risks matter most to you, then check the block. A family may care most about violent crime and a driver about vehicle theft.
- Compare the precinct’s rate and trend on CompStat 2.0.
- Look up the address on the NYC Crime Map.
- Visit in the evening and on a weekend.
- Look at parking, building entry, and package handling.
- Talk to neighbors about what they’ve noticed.
Blocks can differ a lot within any precinct, as our Harlem block-by-block guide shows.
What Queens property owners can do
Even low-crime areas have risks, such as theft and vehicle crime. A building security risk assessment shows where a property is exposed, including entrances, parking, and lighting.
Apartment buildings may need residential security or building security, and shops can look at retail security. Dahlcore officers are unarmed by default, and armed security is provided only on documented request after a risk assessment.
Frequently asked questions
What is the safest neighborhood in Queens?
Bayside, Douglaston, and Little Neck have the lowest violent crime rate in Queens, at 1.3 per 1,000 residents. Forest Hills and Rego Park are next at 1.9.
What is the most dangerous neighborhood in Queens?
Downtown Jamaica’s 103rd Precinct has the highest violent crime rate, at 8.0. Far Rockaway is next at 6.0, then Corona and Elmhurst at 5.5. That high rate likely reflects heavy commuter and shopper foot traffic—our own observation from the data rather than an NYPD finding, since per-capita rates are calculated using local residents only.
Which is safer, Brooklyn or Queens?
Queens has the lower violent crime rate, at 3.4 per 1,000 residents, compared with 3.8 in Brooklyn. Both vary widely by neighborhood.
What is the best area to live in Queens?
It depends on your needs. Bayside and Forest Hills are strong for low violent crime, while Astoria and Long Island City have more activity and easier access to Manhattan.
What is the safest neighborhood in NYC?
Across the four boroughs we’ve analyzed so far—Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx—Bay Ridge in Brooklyn has the lowest rate at 1.2 per 1,000 residents, followed closely by Bayside in Queens (1.3) and Manhattan’s Upper East Side (1.4). We haven’t calculated Staten Island’s precinct rates yet.
How we measured this
Crime counts come from NYPD CompStat reports for the period ending Nov. 1, 2026, which are preliminary and replaced each week. Populations come from a third-party dataset of 2020 census counts by precinct, compiled by journalist John Keefe. Because those population figures are now six years old, actual per-capita rates may be slightly lower in neighborhoods that have added new housing since 2020.
The rates are our own calculation, not an NYPD ranking. They cover 10 months, count only residents, and include only crimes reported to police. Precinct borders don’t match neighborhood borders exactly, so a single rate reflects an entire precinct—meaning a specific neighborhood can be noticeably safer or less safe than its precinct average. The sprawling 109th Precinct, which lumps quiet residential Whitestone in with busy downtown Flushing, is a prime example.
Get a security plan for your Queens property
The safest areas still have real risks, and they differ from one neighborhood to the next. Dahlcore provides security guard services across Queens.
We’re a licensed NYS security guard agency, veteran-owned, founded in 2018, and led by an owner with 23 years of security experience. Every client gets a customized plan, a named account manager, and access to 24/7 support through our command and dispatch center.
Contact Dahlcore or browse our security services to talk through your property.
