Community Corner
7 Hudson Valley Towns Among 'Top 10 Safest Cities In NY' Report
One Westchester town was named the safest in the state in the just released survey of crime data from SafeWise.
HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Despite a growing chorus of concern about crime in the media, there are plenty of relatively safe places to call home in New York, and a perhaps surprising number of them are right here in the Hudson Valley, according to crime statistics analyzed by SafeWise.
SafeWise, a security product review platform, looked at FBI crime statistics for cities/towns in New York to compile its 10th annual Safest Cities report. A total of 44 cities met the criteria to be considered for ranking.
The rankings were based on FBI crime data. Cities and jurisdictions across the country voluntarily report the information through the FBI Summary Reporting System and National Incident-Based Reporting System. The most recent FBI data was released in October 2023 and accounts for crimes reported in 2022. SafeWise also used population thresholds in its reporting, according to the company.
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The Empire State's violent crime rate is 3.6 incidents per 1,000 people, with 4 incidents per 1,000 people being the national average.
Statewide, the property crime rate is 14.1 incidents per 1,000 people, much lower than the nationwide rate of 19.6.
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Nearly 7 in 10 New York survey respondents reported a high level of concern about violent crime, while only about 50 percent of U.S. respondents responded with a high level of concern, according to the report.
70 percent of New York respondents named gun violence their top safety concern, the analysis added. There were 16 mass shooting incidents in New York in 2023, which is a 48 percent decrease from 31 incidents in 2022.
These are the top ten safest cities in New York for 2024, according to SafeWise:
- Town of Bedford
- Town of East Fishkill
- Town of Hyde Park
- Town of Carmel
- Town/Village of Lewiston
- Town of Yorktown
- Town of Orangetown
- City of New Rochelle
- Town/Village of Webster
- Town of Ogden
Bedford ranked as the safest city in the Empire State, with zero violent crimes and just 16 property crimes, according to the report. The town has a population of 16,989.
See the full list of cities along with details on the methodology used here.
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