Buffalo, NY Crime Map

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions About Buffalo, NY Crime (2026)

Is Buffalo, NY safe in 2026?

Buffalo's safety picture is genuinely mixed. Across 65 analyzed neighborhoods, 63% earn a Grade A or B — meaning nearly two-thirds of the city's neighborhoods are considered safe or very safe. An additional 16.9% (11 neighborhoods) land at Grade C, reflecting moderate conditions. Only 20% of neighborhoods — 13 out of 65 — fall into the higher-crime D or F tiers. The city's overall crime grade is D+, pulled down by a concentrated set of higher-risk areas including Kingsley (Grade F), Willert Park (Grade F), and Martin Luther King Park (Grade F). If you live in or near neighborhoods like Deerhurst Park, South Abbott, or Kenilworth, your day-to-day safety experience will differ dramatically from someone in those lower-graded zones. Using the Buffalo crime map to filter by specific neighborhood before making housing or travel decisions is strongly recommended.

What is the crime rate in Buffalo, NY?

Buffalo carries an overall crime grade of D+ at the city level, but that single grade masks significant variation. Of the 65 neighborhoods analyzed: 38.5% (25 neighborhoods) earned an A, 24.6% (16 neighborhoods) earned a B, 16.9% (11 neighborhoods) earned a C, 15.4% (10 neighborhoods) earned a D, and 4.6% (3 neighborhoods) received an F. The city-wide safety rating settles at a moderate Grade C when aggregated across all neighborhoods. Higher-crime concentrations are found in areas such as Medical Park (D−), Perry (D−), and Kingsley (F). Context matters here: Buffalo's 28.3% poverty rate and 7.6% unemployment rate are economic factors that researchers consistently link to elevated property and violent crime in specific corridors. The majority of Buffalo residents, however, live in neighborhoods graded B or better.

What are the safest neighborhoods in Buffalo in 2026?

Six Buffalo neighborhoods earned the top Grade A+ rating in 2026: Buffalo State University (pop. ~1,500), Deerhurst Park (median income $150,628 — the highest among safe neighborhoods), South Abbott (pop. ~3,700), Belmont (median income $74,444), Kenmore Northeast (median income $75,954), and Paramount (median income $79,530). Four additional neighborhoods earned a solid Grade A: Kenilworth (pop. ~5,000, the largest A-rated neighborhood), Lincoln Park (pop. ~6,000, median income $83,056), Elmwood North, and Wilton Argonne. Together, these 10 top-rated neighborhoods span a wide range of incomes and population sizes, demonstrating that safety in Buffalo is not confined to a single demographic or zip code. All 25 Grade-A neighborhoods combined represent 38.5% of the city's analyzed areas.

Which neighborhoods in Buffalo have the highest crime?

Three neighborhoods received a Grade F in 2026: Kingsley, Willert Park, and Martin Luther King Park. These represent 4.6% of analyzed neighborhoods but account for a disproportionate share of serious incidents. Two additional neighborhoods — Medical Park and Perry — earned a Grade D−, placing them at the lower end of the D tier. Combined, the 13 neighborhoods graded D or F make up 20% of Buffalo's analyzed areas. It is worth noting that several of these zones are relatively small in population, meaning their high crime grades reflect intensity of incidents relative to residents rather than sheer volume. If you are evaluating a specific address in or near these neighborhoods, cross-referencing the interactive Buffalo crime map with recent incident data will give you the most granular picture.

How does Buffalo's crime compare to other cities its size?

Buffalo's overall crime grade of D+ places it below the national average for cities of comparable population. With roughly 926,600 residents in the metro area, a median household income of $39,677 (well below the U.S. median), a poverty rate of 28.3%, and a population density of 2,446 per square mile, Buffalo faces structural challenges that are common predictors of elevated crime in post-industrial Rust Belt cities. That said, the fact that 63% of its neighborhoods earn a B or better shows that large swaths of the city are genuinely livable and safe. The median home value of $102,185 and median rent of $801 make Buffalo one of the more affordable larger metros in the Northeast, attracting buyers and renters who then benefit from the safety of its higher-graded neighborhoods like Lincoln Park and Kenilworth.

Is Buffalo safe for families?

Families researching Buffalo will find real options in its safest neighborhoods. Deerhurst Park, with a median household income of $150,628 and an A+ safety grade, consistently ranks as one of the most family-friendly pockets in the region. Lincoln Park (Grade A, pop. ~6,000, median income $83,056) and Kenilworth (Grade A, pop. ~5,000) offer larger residential communities with strong safety profiles. South Abbott (Grade A+, pop. ~3,700) and Paramount (Grade A+, median income $79,530) round out the top family-oriented options. For families on tighter budgets, Buffalo's median rent of $801 and median home value of $102,185 mean that even Grade-B neighborhoods — which represent 24.6% of the city — can offer affordable, reasonably safe living. The key is using neighborhood-level crime grade data rather than relying on the city-wide D+ average, which is skewed by a small number of F-rated areas.