Is Jersey City Safe? (Crime Rates And Crime Stats)


If you are thinking about visiting Jersey City and have some qualms about the safety of the city, we got you covered.

We are going to deep dive into the statistics, look at some maps, graphs and talk to the residents of the city to give you a better understanding of how safe Jersey City really is.

Is Jersey City, New Jersey Safe To Visit?

Statistically speaking, Jersey City is safe place to visit. In 2020, Jersey City had a violent crime rate of 399.04 per 100,000 people. It’s violent crime rate is roughly equal to the national average and it’s property crime rate of 1,347.24 per 100,000 people is significantly less than the national average.

Here’s a scale to give you some perspective on Jersey City’s violent crime rate:

jersey city safety score

Jersey City, NJ Crime Stats

Here’s a breakdown of all the crimes in the city for 2020 compared to 2019:

2019

2020

Percent Change

Homicide

13

17

31%

Rape

81

59

-27%

Robbery

431

340

-21%

Aggravated Assault

868

751

-13%

Burglary

890

500

-44%

Larceny/Theft

3,514

3,004

-15%

Motor Vehicle Theft

670

436

-35%

Arson

18

9

-50%

TOTALS

6,485

5,116

-21%

**All data is from the FBI UCR**

Jersey City, NJ Crime Rates

Jersey City’s Violent Crime Rate

In 2020 Jersey City reported 1,167 violent crimes and had a violent crime rate of 399.04 per 100,000 people.

  • Jersey City’s violent crime rate is twice the state average.
  • Year over year violent crime has decreased by 16%.
  • It’s violent crime rate is on par with cities like El Paso, San Jose and Austin.
  • Violent crime is at it’s lowest level in 30 years.

Here’s a map showing you how violent crime has trended in Jersey City over a 30 year period.

violent crimes crimes in jersey city graph

*Violent crimes include; homicides, rape, robbery and aggravated assaults and the violent crime rate is calculated by dividing the number of reported crimes by the total population; the result is multiplied by 100,000.

Jersey City’s Murder Rate

In 2020, Jersey City reported 17 homicides and had a homicide rate of 5.81 per 100,000 people.

  • Jersey City’s homicide rate is roughly 11% less than the national average and 1.57x greater than the state average.
  • Year over year murder has increased by 31%.
  • Jersey City has a similar homicide rate to cities like Santa Ana, Long Beach and Colorado Springs

Here’s a map showing you how homicides has trended in Jersey City over a 30 year period.

homicides in jersey city graph

Jersey City’s Property Crime Rate

In 2020 Jersey City reported 3,940 property crimes and had a property crime rate of 1,347.24 per 100,000 people.

  • The national average for property crime is 1958.2 per 100,000 residents. Jersey City’s property crime rate is 31% less than the national average.
  • Jersey City’s property crime rate is roughly 16% greater than the state average.
  • Year over year property crime in Jersey City has decreased by 29%.
  • Jersey City property crime rate is similar to Irvine, Santa Clara and Gilbert.
  • Property crime is at its lowest level in 30 years.

Here’s a map showing you how property crime has trended in Jersey City over a 30 year period.

property crimes in jersey city graph

*Property crimes include; burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson and property crime rate is calculated by dividing the number of reported crimes by the total population; the result is multiplied by 100,000.

Jersey City vs Other Cities In New Jersey

Here’s a graph showing you the violent crime rates of the 11 most populous cities in New Jersey. Jersey City’s violent crime rate ranked 6th among all cities

new jersery cities violent crime rates

City

Population

Violent Crimes 2019

Violent Crime Rate 2019

Camden 74,002 1,159 1566.17

Trenton

83,412

937

1,123.34

Newark

281,054

2,520

896.62

Paterson

145,710

1,219

836.59

Elizabeth

128,333

926

721.56

Jersey City

261,940

1,393

531.80

Hamilton township

87,065

122

140.13

Clifton

85,204

95

111.50

Woodbridge

100,145

111

110.84

Edison

100,477

84

83.60

Toms River

91,785

72

78.44

Jersey City, New Jersey vs The Most Dangerous Cities in the United States

Here’s a list of the top 19 most dangerous cities in the United States ranked by violent crime rates. Jersey City’s violent crime rate is 6x less than Memphis, the most dangerous city on the list.

jersey city vs most dangerous cities in the us

City

Number of violent crimes in 2020

Violent Crime Rate 2020

Memphis

15,310

2,418.24

Detroit

14,370

2,248.44

St. Louis

6,017

1,995.17

Little Rock

3,657

1,805.11

South Bend

1,765

1,706.09

Cleveland

6,294

1,689.10

Camden 1,172 1,632.52

Milwaukee

9,407

1,629.70

Birmingham

3,166

1,577.22

Kansas City

7,919

1,558.58

Lansing

1,699

1,508.29

Springfield

2,545

1,504.35

Baltimore

8,552

1,404.20

San Bernardino

3,033

1,365.59

New Orleans

5,215

1,358.08

Albuquerque

7,552

1,337.68

Oakland

5,653

1,282.89

Stockton

4,023

1,254.04

Areas to avoid in Jersey City

Here’s a map showing you where crime is most prevalent in Jersey City.

jersey city crime map

  • Greenville section (Ocean Ave)
  • West Side (MLK).
  • Bergen Lafayette

Safest areas of Jersey City

  • Downtown
  • Exchange Place
  • Newport
  • Grove Street
  • Waterfront
  • Paulus Hook
  • Eastside of The Heights

Is Downtown Jersey City, New Jersey Safe?

downtown jersey city

Downtown Jersey City is generally a safe area to visit day and night. Its one of the safest parts of the city and has a good police presence.

Is the public transportation in Jersey City safe?

The public transportation system in Jersey City is handled by PATH and it offers many routes that interweave throughout the entire city and into Manhattan. However, we do not recommend that you take PATH late at night. There’s a lot less people around and it can get sketchy down there. Get a taxi or an Lyft instead.

Download the PATH app to know the exact times of the trains.

What do residents of Jersey City say about it’s safety?

  1. "In general Jersey City is safe. Like any big city it has good areas and bad areas."
  2. "Jersey City is pretty safe. The police department does a good job of making sure our residents and streets are safe."
  3. "The “bad” section of town would be the Greenville area."

Is Jersey City safe at night?

Jersey City is safe at night. You can mitigate your chances of being a victim of crime if you avoid the sketchy neighborhoods mentioned above and follow the safety tips below.

Tips to stay safe while visiting Jersey City, New Jersey

  • The more people are around, the less of a target you are. Stay away from desolate areas and don’t walk through alleys at night.
  • Never stop walking. If someone says “hey”, just keep walking. As soon as you stop, you are giving someone the opportunity to solicit your for something or scam you.
  • If a stranger comes up to you and is a little too nice for no reason, find a way to get out of there.
  • Don’t stand too close to edge of the subway platform. People are getting pushed into the tracks by crazy people.
  • Always wait a second before crossing an intersecton. There’s always that one dummy who had to “make that light” and will inevitably run a red light.
  • Always keep situational awareness. Don’t wear headphones or bury yourself in your phone while walking.
  • Don’t assume people will stop at stop signs for you.
  • Don’t be a walking advertisement. Leave that expensive watch or purse at home.
  • Plan out your routes ahead of time and know where you are going and how to get back.
  • If someone is following you, step into a shop, restaurant or bodega. People will usually leave you alone if you go into a store.

Quick Facts About Jersey City, New Jersey

 

Jersey City, New Jersey

United States

Population, Census, April 1, 2020

292,449

331,449,281

Population, Census, April 1, 2010

247,597

308,745,538

Persons under 5 years, percent

7.7%

6.0%

Persons under 18 years, percent

20.6%

22.3%

Persons 65 years and over, percent

11.1%

16.5%

Black or African American alone, percent

22.9%

13.4%

American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent

0.5%

1.3%

Asian alone, percent

25.1%

5.9%

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent

0.0%

0.2%

Two or More Races, percent

3.8%

2.8%

Hispanic or Latino, percent

28.5%

18.5%

White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent

21.9%

60.1%

Foreign born persons, percent, 2015-2019

41.8%

13.6%

Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2015-2019

$373,700.00

$217,500.00

Median selected monthly owner costs -with a mortgage, 2015-2019

$2,683.00

$1,595.00

Median gross rent, 2015-2019

$1,401.00

$1,062.00

High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2015-2019

87.6%

88.0%

Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2015-2019

47.5%

32.1%

In civilian labor force, total, percent of population age 16 years+, 2015-2019

68.4%

63.0%

Median household income (in 2019 dollars), 2015-2019

$70,752.00

$62,843.00

Per capita income in past 12 months (in 2019 dollars), 2015-2019

$42,022.00

$34,103.00

Persons in poverty, percent

17.2%

11.4%

Mariska Lee

Mariska is a recovering attorney who gave up her professional job to discover new perspectives of life while traveling in a 2009 Ford Transit. She has been living the van life for 3 years and has not looked back since.

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