The most dangerous areas in Brooklyn by reported violent crime are Brownsville and East New York, based on NYPD data through Nov. 1, 2026. Brownsville has the highest rate per resident. East New York has the most murders, robberies, felony assaults, and shooting incidents.
Still, Brooklyn is getting safer overall, and a precinct number never describes every block. This guide compares all 23 Brooklyn precincts so you can see the full picture.
Key takeaways
- Brownsville’s violent crime rate is 2.4 times the Brooklyn average.
- East New York leads Brooklyn in total violent crime counts.
- Major crime in Brooklyn is down 6.9% this year, and murders are down 28.6%.
- Bushwick is going the other way, with major crime up 14.4%.
- Bay Ridge has Brooklyn’s lowest violent crime rate.
The areas with the highest violent crime rates
These five precincts have the highest rates of violent crime per 1,000 residents in Brooklyn so far in 2026.
| Rank | Area | NYPD precinct | Violent crimes per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brownsville, Ocean Hill | 73rd | 9.2 |
| 2 | Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill, DUMBO (84th Precinct) | 84th | 7.0 |
| 3 | East New York, Cypress Hills | 75th | 6.4 |
| 4 | Bushwick | 83rd | 5.9 |
| 5 | Bedford-Stuyvesant, Stuyvesant Heights | 81st | 5.5 |
The Brooklyn average is 3.8. 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. The method is explained below the full table.
10 facts about dangerous areas in Brooklyn
1. Brownsville has Brooklyn’s highest violent crime rate
Brownsville’s 73rd Precinct reports 9.2 violent crimes per 1,000 residents. That is 2.4 times the Brooklyn average and about 7.5 times the rate in Bay Ridge.
The precinct has reported 9 murders, 203 robberies, and 658 felony assaults this year. Murders are up from 4 at this point in 2025. Robberies and felony assaults are both down.
2. East New York has the highest counts
East New York’s 75th Precinct leads Brooklyn in four categories: 11 murders, 345 robberies, 867 felony assaults, and 31 shooting incidents.
It is also a large precinct, with about 201,000 residents. That is why its rate of 6.4 ranks below Brownsville’s. Robberies there are down 19.4% from last year. For more detail, read our guide on whether East New York is safe.
3. Shootings are concentrated in two precincts
The 73rd and 75th precincts account for 54 of Brooklyn’s 177 shooting incidents this year. That is about 31% of shootings in two precincts holding about 11% of Brooklyn’s residents.
4. Downtown Brooklyn’s rate needs context
While the NYPD officially labels the 84th Precinct as Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, and Vinegar Hill, its physical boundaries also swallow the high-density retail corridors of Downtown Brooklyn and the waterfront blocks of DUMBO. That mixed footprint creates a statistical quirk: the 84th ranks second by violent crime rate, yet reported only 2 shooting incidents and 1 murder this year.
As security professionals reviewing these numbers, we treat this rate as an analytical distortion known as the “commuter denominator problem.” The NYPD calculates per-capita rates based strictly on the people who sleep here at night—not the tens of thousands of office workers, shoppers at Fulton Mall, and tourists who flood the area during the day.
Grand larceny accounts for 45% of the precinct’s major crime. If you spend time here, the actual risk you face isn’t a violent street confrontation; it’s an unattended backpack disappearing from a café chair or an iPhone swiped on a subway stairwell.
5. Bushwick is moving in the wrong direction
Major crime in Bushwick’s 83rd Precinct is up 14.4% this year, from 1,391 to 1,591 reported crimes. Robberies are up 33.5%, and felony assaults are up 36.5%.
There is some good news too. Murders fell from 7 to 2, and shooting incidents fell from 11 to 8.
6. Brooklyn as a whole is getting safer
Major crime in Brooklyn is down 6.9% this year, from 26,175 to 24,375 reported crimes. Murders fell from 84 to 60. Shooting incidents fell from 216 to 177.
Robberies and burglaries are each down 11.1%. These totals combine NYPD’s Brooklyn North and Brooklyn South reports. The Brooklyn District Attorney’s office also reported the fewest homicides in any month in Brooklyn this past July.
7. Falling totals hide local increases
Not every precinct is following the borough’s trend. These numbers compare this year with the same period in 2025.
- Canarsie (69th): felony assaults rose 36%, from 189 to 257.
- Crown Heights South and Prospect Lefferts Gardens (71st): shooting incidents rose from 9 to 13.
- Coney Island and Brighton Beach (60th): felony assaults rose 13.5%, and major crime rose 5.6%.
East Flatbush shows how much a single year can change. Its shooting incidents fell from 26 to 11, even though it still has 7 murders this year.
8. Bed-Stuy is two different pictures
Bedford-Stuyvesant is split between two precincts with similar rates but different trends. The 79th Precinct’s rate is 5.1, with major crime down 8.6% and shooting incidents down from 16 to 9.
The 81st Precinct’s rate is 5.5. Its major crime is flat, and robberies are up 20.2%. Our Bed-Stuy safety guide looks at the neighborhood’s reputation in more detail.
9. Theft is more common than violence
Grand larceny is Brooklyn’s largest major crime category, at 36.7% of the total. Felony assault is 28.8%, and robbery is 11.8%.
For most residents and visitors, that means property is at greater risk than personal safety. Phones, bags, packages, and cars left unattended are common targets.
10. South Brooklyn has the lowest rates
Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights have the lowest violent crime rate in Brooklyn, at 1.2 per 1,000 residents. No shooting incidents have been reported there this year, although the precinct has reported 3 murders.
Borough Park and Midwood come next at 1.5, followed by Bensonhurst at 1.9 and Sheepshead Bay at 2.0. Park Slope, often called one of the borough’s safest areas, is at 3.2. That is still below the Brooklyn average.
All 23 Brooklyn precincts ranked
This table ranks every precinct by violent crime per 1,000 residents, from highest to lowest.
| Rank | Area | Precinct | Rate per 1,000 | Murders | Robberies | Felony assaults | Shooting incidents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brownsville, Ocean Hill | 73rd | 9.2 | 9 | 203 | 658 | 23 |
| 2 | Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO | 84th | 7.0 | 1 | 145 | 288 | 2 |
| 3 | East New York, Cypress Hills | 75th | 6.4 | 11 | 345 | 867 | 31 |
| 4 | Bushwick | 83rd | 5.9 | 2 | 251 | 434 | 8 |
| 5 | Bedford-Stuyvesant, Stuyvesant Heights | 81st | 5.5 | 3 | 125 | 230 | 9 |
| 6 | Coney Island, Brighton Beach | 60th | 5.4 | 2 | 142 | 420 | 10 |
| 7 | Crown Heights North, Prospect Heights | 77th | 5.2 | 1 | 124 | 377 | 9 |
| 8 | East Flatbush | 67th | 5.2 | 7 | 204 | 591 | 11 |
| 9 | Bedford-Stuyvesant | 79th | 5.1 | 3 | 145 | 366 | 9 |
| 10 | Canarsie | 69th | 4.2 | 3 | 99 | 257 | 9 |
| 11 | Crown Heights South, Prospect Lefferts Gardens | 71st | 4.1 | 4 | 93 | 304 | 13 |
| 12 | Fort Greene, Clinton Hill | 88th | 4.0 | 1 | 58 | 188 | 4 |
| 13 | Park Slope | 78th | 3.2 | 1 | 59 | 167 | 4 |
| 14 | Williamsburg | 90th | 3.1 | 3 | 138 | 252 | 6 |
| 15 | Red Hook, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill | 76th | 2.9 | 0 | 41 | 93 | 1 |
| 16 | Sunset Park, Windsor Terrace | 72nd | 2.6 | 1 | 90 | 234 | 6 |
| 17 | Greenpoint | 94th | 2.6 | 0 | 61 | 116 | 2 |
| 18 | Flatlands, Marine Park, Mill Basin | 63rd | 2.4 | 1 | 91 | 160 | 3 |
| 19 | Flatbush, Ditmas Park | 70th | 2.3 | 0 | 110 | 251 | 4 |
| 20 | Sheepshead Bay, Gravesend | 61st | 2.0 | 2 | 110 | 216 | 5 |
| 21 | Bensonhurst, Bath Beach | 62nd | 1.9 | 1 | 115 | 242 | 4 |
| 22 | Borough Park, Midwood | 66th | 1.5 | 1 | 80 | 205 | 4 |
| 23 | Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights | 68th | 1.2 | 3 | 49 | 109 | 0 |
How we built this table
The crime counts come from each precinct’s weekly CompStat report for the period ending Nov. 1, 2026, available from the NYPD’s borough and precinct crime statistics page. For example, here is the 73rd Precinct report. NYPD marks these figures as preliminary, and the reports are replaced each week.
Precinct population figures are drawn from the 2020 U.S. Census precinct crosswalk compiled by data journalist John Keefe. Because the NYPD tracks crime by patrol boundaries rather than residential neighborhoods, Keefe’s model remains the most reliable public mapping tool available. Rates reflect our own calculations, not an official NYPD ranking.
When reading these figures, keep a few real-world caveats in mind:
- The population data is from 2020: Brooklyn has not stood still over the past six years. Neighborhoods that underwent massive high-rise residential development since 2020—most notably Downtown Brooklyn and parts of Williamsburg—now hold significantly more residents than the 2020 census shows. As a result, their true crime rate per 1,000 people today is likely lower than calculated here.
- It measures residents, not ambient foot traffic: A commuter hub like Downtown Brooklyn or a tourist magnet like DUMBO spreads its crime incidents across hundreds of thousands of daily visitors, not just registered locals.
- The period covers 10 months: Totals run from Jan. 1 to Nov. 1, 2026, so full-year numbers will finish higher across all categories.
- Borders are operational, not cultural: NYPD precinct boundaries were drawn for police operations, not community identity. A single precinct often lumps historic brownstone blocks together with heavy transit junctions or industrial waterfronts.
How to stay safe in higher-crime areas
Most safety comes down to timing, route, and attention. A busy avenue at 6 p.m. is a very different place from an empty side street at 2 a.m.
For residents and renters
- Visit a block at night and on a weekend before signing a lease.
- Check your precinct’s latest numbers on CompStat 2.0, where you can look at the trend over time.
- Walk the route from the subway to the front door.
- Ask how packages are handled and who can enter the building.
For visitors
- Stick to busy, well-lit streets after dark.
- Keep your phone and bag close on platforms and in crowds.
- Plan your trip back before you head out for the evening.
For drivers
- Lock your car and leave nothing in view.
- Park in a well-lit spot when you can.
Last fall, a friend who serves on the residential board of a mid-rise condo near Fulton Mall watched neighbors panic after the 84th Precinct’s per-capita numbers started circulating on social media. Residents were convinced violent crime was surging right outside their lobby doors.
When the building brought in a security team for a 90-day site assessment, the actual pattern became immediately clear: zero assaults or muggings had occurred within three blocks, but opportunistic foot traffic was hitting the building’s unattended outer vestibule two to three times a week for package theft during the afternoon rush.
After management restructured the entry access and stationed an unarmed concierge guard during delivery windows, package loss dropped to zero within 48 hours, and residents stopped looking over their shoulders on the walk home from the subway. The data looked terrifying on a spreadsheet; the real-world fix was basic access control.
Living well without obsessing over the stats
Living well in any Brooklyn neighborhood comes down to agency rather than living in fear of raw statistics:
- Separate spreadsheet panic from daily reality: Don’t let borough-wide numbers make you a prisoner in your own apartment. High per-capita rates often stem from commuter theft or disputes between known individuals, not random street violence directed at pedestrians.
- Get off autopilot on foot: Put your phone away and keep your headphones at low volume between the subway platform and your front door. Simple awareness isn’t about paranoia—it simply ensures you are never the easiest mark on the block.
- Build a micro-community: Introduce yourself to your neighbors, your building super, and the counter staff at your corner bodega. In New York, familiar faces who recognize who belongs on the block offer more day-to-day peace of mind than any statistical report.
- Fix the small vulnerabilities you control: Use secure package drop-boxes, never let strangers tailgate through open lobby doors, and ensure street-level windows have proper window guards. Once your immediate entryways are locked down, you can stop carrying the stress of the whole precinct.
- Mute the neighborhood crime apps: Real-time push notifications spike chronic anxiety without offering actionable protection. Check official precinct trends quarterly to stay grounded in facts, then put the screen away and enjoy your city.
What property and business owners can do
Start with your own address, not the borough average. A building security risk assessment shows where your property is exposed, including entrances, lighting, and blind spots. Then compare that with your precinct’s trend.
In a precinct where theft is rising, retail security and loss prevention may matter most. Apartment and mixed-use buildings may be better served by residential security or property security guards.
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 most dangerous area in Brooklyn?
Brownsville has the highest violent crime rate, at 9.2 per 1,000 residents through Nov. 1, 2026. East New York has the highest counts of murders, robberies, felony assaults, and shooting incidents.
What is the safest area to live in Brooklyn?
Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights have the lowest violent crime rate, at 1.2 per 1,000 residents. Borough Park, Midwood, Bensonhurst, and Sheepshead Bay also rank low.
Is Brooklyn still dangerous?
Brooklyn is safer than it was last year, with major crime down 6.9% and murders down 28.6%. Risk still varies widely, from 1.2 to 9.2 violent crimes per 1,000 residents depending on the precinct.
Is Brooklyn dangerous for tourists?
Most visitors face a greater risk of theft than violence. Downtown Brooklyn, a common visitor area, has few shootings, and grand larceny is its largest crime category. Keep your phone and bag secure, and use busy routes at night.
Is Flatlands, Brooklyn safe?
Flatlands has a lower violent crime rate than most of Brooklyn. The 63rd Precinct, which also covers Marine Park and Mill Basin, has a rate of 2.4 per 1,000 residents, ranking 18th of 23.
Is Cobble Hill, Brooklyn a safe neighborhood?
Cobble Hill’s precinct has a below-average violent crime rate. The 76th Precinct, which also covers Red Hook and Carroll Gardens, has a rate of 2.9 and has reported no murders this year.
How can I check crime on a specific block?
Precinct data can’t show a single block. Use the NYPD’s crime statistics for trends, then visit the block yourself at different times.
Get a security plan for your Brooklyn property
Dangerous areas in Brooklyn are real, but the numbers change by precinct, by block, and by year. The right response to those numbers depends on your property.
Dahlcore Security Guard Services is 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 Brooklyn property.
