Every year, Safewise.com publishes its lists of the safest towns in each state. Any guesses as to how well the Empire State did? Out of all 50 states New York was pretty close to (but just under) the national average. There’s just something about crunching these numbers that’s so interesting, isn’t it? Looking at the number of violent and property crimes against the area’s population, these are the places in our state (with a population of over 2,500 residents) that are reportedly the safest to live in. Let’s take a look at the safe places to live in New York.

1. Lewisboro
Lewisboro, NY 10590, USA
Sonja Lovas/Flickr
A small town within Westchester County, Lewisboro only has a population of just over 12,582 residents. Named New York's safest place to live in, Lewisboro is a total treat to visit and live in. Most people are aware of just how scenic this town is, but there's clearly more to be appreciated here. According to what SafeWise.com found, the town has a Property Crime Rate of 0 and a Violent Crime Rate of... also zero. Quite impressive! It's certainly one of the more quiet places to live in New York.
2. Sleepy Hollow
Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591, USA
Daniel Mennerich/Flickr
A win for Hudson Valley, Sleepy Hollow was named the second-safest place to live in the Empire State. A village in Westchester County, this wonderful town is located on the east bank of the Hudson River. Sleepy Hollow's name might remind you of a particular scary movie, but no worries - there's nothing scary about this little town. It, too, has a property and violent crime rate of zero, making it one of the safest cities in New York. Cheers to that!
3. Kirkland
Kirkland, NY 13323, USA
kenneth c. zirkel/Wikimedia
The city of Kirkland is a charming place to visit out in Oneida County. The city's property crime rate may have been a bit higher than we would've liked at 0.5, but their violent crime rate was an impressive 0.0!
4. Highlands
Highlands, NY, USA
Jared Kofsky/Wikimedia
This small town in Orange County (we wonder how many Orange Counties are in the United States, don't you?) is said to be one of our safest. With a tiny population of just over 8,000 residents, Highlands offers residents a peaceful and quiet existence. The best.
5. Northport
Northport, NY 11768, USA
Doug Kerr/Flickr
The quiet, quaint village of Northport can be found on the north shore of Long Island. The Suffolk County location has a population of just over 7,200 residents, and is truly a nice, pleasant little place to call home. Northport saw a violent crime rate this past year of zero, much like our previous entries, and a property crime rate of just 1.0 per 1,000 residents.
6. Rye
Rye, NY, USA
Bonnie Council/Flickr
If you aren't already familiar with Rye, then it's time you get yourself acquainted with this charming little city in Westchester County. Home to the famous Rye Playland, AKA the iconic amusement park where they filmed scenes from your favorite Tom Hank movie Big, the city has a violent crime rate score of just 0.1.
7. Mount Hope
Mount Hope, Mt Hope, NY 10940, USA
Marcela/Flickr
The town of Mount Hope is in Orange County and is a wonderful place to check out if you're in the area. It's quaint, low-key, and everything you could ever want in a small town. With just a teensy a smaller population of roughly 6,000 residents, Tuxedo had a 0.2 per 1,000 residents rate of violent crime in 2021. Property crimes are also quite low, at a whopping 0.9 per 1,000 residents.

Related Stories

Be On The Lookout, A New Type Of Tick Has Been Spotted In New York

Be On The Lookout, A New Type Of Tick Has Been Spotted In New York

 According To FBI Statistics, These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In New York

According To FBI Statistics, These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In New York

 Downtown Buffalo skyline along the historic waterfront district at night. Buffalo is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the seat of Erie County located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie. Buffalo is known for its close proximity to Niagara Falls, good museums and cultural attractions

This New York City Is One Of The Most Peaceful Places To Live In The Country
8. Cornwall
Cornwall, NY, USA
Doug Kerr/Flickr
Another one of our small and charming towns to make the list, Cornwall can be found out in Orange County (which seems like an overall safe little county) with a population of just over 9,500 residents. There's plenty to see and do in this gorgeous little town, and it's worth exploring. While the town's property crime rate score was a 0.7, Cornwall only had a 0.2 score for their violent crime rate. Nice!
9. Malverne
Malverne, NY, USA
DanTD/Wikimedia Commons
Out on Long Island in Nassau County, this small village only has a population of just over 8,000 residents. The location is favored by those of our residents who have to work in the city, but prefer to carry out a more small town lifestyle. The property crime rate here is 1.2, and the violent crime rate is 0.2. Not bad, in the big picture!
10. Stillwater
Stillwater, NY, USA
Doug Kerr/Flickr
StillwaterM is another lovely village in New York that has a population of roughly 8,000 residents. Charming and eclectic, the village had a property crime rate score of 2.2, with a violent crime rate score of just 0.1.
11. Whitestown
Whitestown, NY, USA
Jimmy EMerson, DVM/Flickr
The pleasant small town of Whitestown falls in Oneida County. Home to small population in a beautiful, relaxing area, it shouldn't come as a surprise to see a place like this on our list of safest locations! This town is one you should absolutely add to your bucket list.
12. Plattekill
Plattekill, NY, USA
raymondclarkeimages/Flickr
Named after a nearby stream (the Platte Kill) An Westchester County gem to make the list, the village of Plattekill is home to over 6,000 New Yorkers. Located in the southeastern part of the state, this location is considered one of the best places you can live in the area.
13. New Castle
New Castle, NY, USA
Elisa.rolle/Wikimedia
So many of our little towns are known for their own unique characteristics and that includes the village of New Castle! Located in beautiful Westchester County, the village is home to over 17,000 residents and has a violent crime rate of 0.1. The property crime rate is a pleasant 3.0 out of every 1,000 residents.
14. Carmel
Carmel Hamlet, NY 10512, USA
Doug Kerr/Flickr
Near the southern border of Putnam County, the town of Carmel is just one of the many stunning towns that have managed to make this delightful list. Once you start finding yourself up in this area of New York, it's hard not to instantly feel at peace amongst our gorgeous scenery.
15. Bedford
Bedford, NY 10506, USA
Doug Kerr/WIkimedia
Yet another gem of Westchester County, this town rounds out our list of the safest places to be in New York. According to Safewise, the village is among the wealthiest in our country with the average household income exceeding $120,000. Alongside the fact that it has a violent crime rate score of 0.1, it would appear that Bedford is not so shabby, and it one of the safest towns in New York!

Do you know of a peaceful location within our state that you were surprised to not see on this list? For more information on the Empire State, take a look at the 12 Poorest Cities In New York… some of them may surprise you! To see the full list of the 50 safest places in New York, make sure to check out the article on Safewise.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

More to Explore

Most Peaceful Places in New York

Tori Jane | November 03, 2021

What are some of the safest cities in New York?  

According to Safewise.com (the same source we used as above), the safest cities in New York at the time of this writing are Lewisboro Town, Sleepy Hollow Village, Kirkland Town, and Highlands Town. Each of these places has a much lower crime rate than the rest of the state; Lewisboro Town had no violent crime from 2019 to 2021 (thus far), and it saw zero property crimes in 2020 and 2021. In 2019, it had just 0.1 property crimes per 1,000 residents. Much of the same can be said for Sleepy Hollow Village; in 2020 and 2021, there were no violent crimes (thus far) and just 0.1 per 1,000 residents for property crimes in 2020. An interesting 88% of the safest cities in the state are small towns, with populations of under 25,000. None of the safest cities in New York had any murders, and that’s remarkable, really.  

What are the most dangerous places in New York? 

With plenty of safe places comes, unfortunately, a handful of not-so-safe places, too. Some of the most dangerous places in New York include, understandably, the bigger cities: Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Binghamton, Schenectady, and Rochester. In Schenectady, for example, you have a 5% chance of being a victim of a crime. That doesn’t sound like a high probability – and really, it’s not – but it’s still higher than much of the state’s average rates. Watertown, Albany, and Syracuse also make the list of most dangerous places in New York. Of course, each of these cities and towns has its own subdivisions and neighborhoods, and some of those are always safer (or more dangerous) than others. For more data on the most dangerous places in New York, take a look at this article.  

Related Articles

Explore New York