Is Yonkers Safe? (Crime Rates And Crime Stats)


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

Lets deep dive into the some crime statistics and crime rates and see how safe or dangerous Yonkers really is.

Is Yonkers, NY safe?

Statistically speaking, Yonkers is a very safe city. In 2020, Yonkers had a violent crime rate of 308.65 per 100,000 residents, which is 23% less than the national average and its property crime rate of 940.59 per 100,000 residents is 52% less than the national average.

is yonkers safe

Does Yonkers have a high crime rate?

Yonkers has a low crime rate and is similar to cities like San Diego, El Paso and San Jose. Here’s a scale to give you some perspective on Yonkers’s crime rate:

yonkers crime rate

Yonkers, NY crime rate breakdown

Violent Crime Rate

In 2020 Yonkers reported 653 violent crimes and had a violent crime rate of 308.65 per 100,000 residents. Violent crimes include; homicides, rape, robbery and aggravated assaults.

Year over year violent crime has decreased 8%.

You have a 1 in 324 chance of becoming a victim of violent crime in Yonkers.

Here’s a graph showing you how violent crime has trended in Yonkers over a 11 year period.

violent crime in yonkers graph

Yonkers’s Murder Rate

In 2020, Yonkers reported 7 murders and had a murder rate of 3.31 per 100,000 residents. Yonkers’s murder rate is nearly 49% less than the national average.

Year over year murder has increased by 17%.

You have a 1 in 30,224 chance of becoming a victim of murder in Yonkers.

Here’s a graph showing you how murders have trended over the last 11 years in Yonkers.

homicides in yonkers graph

Here’s a table you showing the murder rates of 15 major cities in the United States. Yonkers has a similar murder rate to Oakland and Houston.

Murder Rate

Philadelphia

35.4

Milwaukee 33.5

Washington D.C.

32.2

Chicago

29.3

Oakland

28.6

Houston

20.3

Dallas

16.1

Phoenix

11.5

Portland

11

Los Angeles

10.6

Las Vegas

8.7

Austin 8.5

San Francisco

6.3

New York

5.7

San Diego

4.1

Yonkers 3.3

San Jose

3.1

Yonkers’s Property Crime Rate

In 2020 Yonkers reported 1,990 property crimes and had a property crime rate of 940.59 per 100,000 residents. Property crimes include; burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

Year over year property crime has increased 9%.

You have a 1 in 106 chance of becoming a victim of property crime in Yonkers.

Here’s a graph showing you how property crime has trended in Yonkers over a 11 year period.

property crime in yonkers graph

Yonkers’s crime rate vs other cities in NY (2020)

Here’s a graph showing you how Yonkers’s crime rate compares to other cities in NY. Yonkers had the highest crime rate of all the cities listed in 2020.

Name

Population

Violent Crime Rate (2020)

Buffalo

278,349

931.21

Albany

99,224

875.80

Syracuse

148,620

802.05

Rochester

211,328

794.97

Schenectady

67,047

698.02

New York

8,804,190

544.73

Mount Vernon

73,893

516.96

Utica

65,283

456.47

Yonkers

211,569

308.65

Cheektowaga

76,829

281.14

New Rochelle

79,726

185.64

Yonkers’s Crime Rate Comparison

Here’s a list of the top 23 most dangerous cities in the United States ranked by violent crime rates. Yonkers’s violent crime rate is 9.5 times less than Monroe, Louisiana, the most dangerous city on the list.

yonkers crime rate vs most dangerous cities us

How are Yonkers, NY crime rates calculated?

Crime rate is calculated by dividing the number of reported crimes by the total population; the result is multiplied by 100,000.

For example, in 2020 there were 653 violent crimes in Yonkers and the population was 211,569. This equals a crime rate of 308.65 per 100,000 residents.

Yonkers, NY Crime Stats

The most recent, complete set of crime statistics comes from the FBI UCR and are for 2019 and 2020:

2019

2020

% Change

Murder

6

7

17%

Rape

42

38

-10%

Robbery

224

169

-25%

Aggravated Assault

436

439

1%

Violent Offense Total

708

653

-8%

Burglary

208

276

33%

Larceny

1,466

1,466

0%

Motor Vehicle Theft

152

248

63%

Property Offense Total

1,826

1,990

9%

Total Index Offenses

2,534

2,643

4%

How much has crime increased in Yonkers?

In 2020, Yonkers reported 2,643 total crimes, which is a 4% increase over 2019.

In 2020, Yonkers reported 653 violent crimes, which is a 8% decrease over 2019.

In 2020, Yonkers reported 7 murders, which is a 17% increase over 2019.

In 2020, Yonkers reported 1,990 property crimes, which is a 9% increase over 2019.

Areas to avoid in Yonkers, NY

areas to avoid in yonkers

  • Nodine Hill
  • ‘Tree Streets’
  • Oak Street
  • Elm Street
  • Walnut Street
  • Oliver Ave

Is Downtown Yonkers safe?

is downtown yonkers safe

Downtown Yonkers is generally a safe area to visit. At night you should avoid walking through desolate and unlit areas at night. Stay in places where there are people around.

Is the public transportation in Yonkers safe?

The public transportation system in Yonkers is handled by the MTA and the Bee Line Bus, which offers many routes that interweave throughout the entire city.

The trains and buses are generally a safe option to use during normal commuting hours (7am – 8pm), however we recommend that you use a taxi or ride sharing service outside of those hours. At night there are less people using the public transit and it can get sketchy.

Is Yonkers safe at night?

Yonkers is generally safe at night as long as you stay out of the problem areas mentioned above (Tree named streets).

Be aware that streets and squares that are perfectly safe to visit in the daytime can be questionable and sketchy at night.

Learn the layout of the city and figure out which parts are good and which parts are bad and plan your trip accordingly.

What do residents of Yonkers say about it’s safety?

  1. "When it comes to dangerous neighborhoods, a good rule of thumb in Yonkers is to avoid areas named after a tree, like Elm or Oak."
  2. "Stay away from streets named after trees and to be more specific, avoid Nodine Hill."
  3. "Yonkers has some hoods spots like anywhere else but for the most part, Yonkers is safe."
  4. "Lincoln Park Area, Crestwood, Lawrence Park, Cedar Knolls, and Dunwoodie are the good areas of Yonkers."
  5. "Yonkers has drastically changed for the better in recent years. It’s not a dangerous city. The crime rate has dropped significantly."

Tips to stay safe while visiting Yonkers

  • Research the city before you arrive. Learn which parts of the city are good and which parts are sketchy and plan your trip with this knowledge.
  • Always be aware of your surroundings. Stay off your cellphone and keep your eyes and ears open for any potential dangers.
  • Always walk with confidence and purpose. Criminals like to target individuals who meek or unsure of themselves.
  • Don’t travel by yourself late at night.
  • Don’t leave valuables in your car or in plain sight in your car.
  • Don’t park in desolate areas or areas that are not well lit. Consider using parking garages when visiting.
  • If someone is following you, step into a shop, restaurant or bodega. People will usually leave you alone if you go into a store.
  • If you are riding the subway, avoid getting into empty cars. Being in an empty train car isn’t a safe option for tourists. Always try to be in the car with the conductor.
  • Don’t yell back or engage with a group of guys verbally harassing you. Just keep walking. Don’t make a face, don’t change your walking pace, keep going as they’re not there.
  • Don’t make eye contact or engage with erratic or mentally ill people.

Facts about Yonkers, NY

  • The population of Yonkers in 2021 was 211,569.
  • The city covers a land area of 18.01 square miles.
  • The median age of the population is 36 years old.
  • 82.9% of residents 25 and older is a high school graduate. 34.5% of residents 25 and older has a bachelors degree or higher.
  • The median income for a household in the city was $69,825. The per capita income for the city was $36,590.
  • 12.9% of the population live below the poverty line.
  • The median home value in Yonkers is $575,000 in 2022.
  • In 2022, the average rent for a Yonkers 2-bedroom apartment is $2,600.

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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