Paterson, NJ Crime Map

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions: Paterson, NJ Crime & Safety (2026)

Is Paterson, NJ safe in 2026?

Paterson receives an overall crime grade of D+ city-wide, but that headline number masks a more nuanced picture. Of the 14 neighborhoods analyzed on our crime map, 71% earn a grade of B or better — meaning the majority of the city's residential areas sit in the safer half of the scale. Three neighborhoods — Hillcrest (A-), Eastside Park (A-), and Lakeview (A-) — rank among the safest, while only one neighborhood, Wrigley Park, falls into the higher-crime D tier. No neighborhood received an F grade. The city-wide safety rating across analyzed neighborhoods averages out to a moderate C, suggesting that where you live or visit within Paterson matters enormously when assessing personal safety.

What is the crime rate in Paterson compared to other New Jersey cities?

Paterson's overall crime grade of D+ places it in the higher-crime tier relative to many New Jersey municipalities. The city's socioeconomic profile — a 25.2% poverty rate, 7.4% unemployment, and a median household income of $45,141 — correlates with elevated crime risk in certain pockets. However, the neighborhood-level data tells a more granular story: 21.4% of neighborhoods earn an A grade, 50% earn a B grade, and only 7.1% fall into the D range. Zero neighborhoods received an F. Residents in higher-income areas like Hillcrest (median income $83,088) and Eastside Park ($82,594) experience crime environments comparable to much safer cities, while areas like Wrigley Park and Bunker Hill (C-) face more significant challenges.

What are the safest neighborhoods in Paterson in 2026?

Based on our analysis of 14 Paterson neighborhoods, the top five safest areas are:

1. Hillcrest — A-: The highest-ranked neighborhood, with a population of about 7,566 and a median household income of $83,088 — the highest in the city.
2. Eastside Park — A-: A smaller community of roughly 3,673 residents with a median income of $82,594, closely matching Hillcrest in both safety and affluence.
3. Lakeview — A-: Home to about 6,401 residents and a median income of $55,768, Lakeview earns its A- grade with consistently low incident rates.
4. Stoney Road — B+: A neighborhood of approximately 4,889 residents with a median income of $53,134, just outside the top tier but still well above the city average.
5. People's Park — B+: One of the larger safer neighborhoods with 11,185 residents and a median income of $42,058, offering a relatively safe environment at a more accessible income level.

Collectively, these five neighborhoods account for a substantial share of Paterson's safer residential footprint and are worth prioritizing if you are evaluating where to live or visit.

Which Paterson neighborhoods have the highest crime rates?

Our crime map identifies Wrigley Park as the single highest-crime neighborhood in Paterson, earning a D grade — the only neighborhood in that tier and representing just 7.1% of the 14 areas analyzed. The next tier of concern includes Bunker Hill (C-) and Northside (C), both of which fall below the city-wide neighborhood average of C. Manor Section earns a C+, placing it in the middle of the distribution. Even Sandy Hill, which appears on both the higher-concern list and the lower end of the safer list at B-, reflects a transitional zone worth monitoring on the crime map. Residents in these areas are encouraged to use real-time incident tracking and engage with local neighborhood watch efforts.

Is Downtown Paterson safe?

Downtown Paterson earns a B- grade on our crime map — below the top-tier neighborhoods but still within the broader "safer" band that accounts for 71% of Paterson's analyzed neighborhoods. With a population of approximately 9,690 and a median household income of $27,611 (the lowest among the top-10 safer neighborhoods), Downtown reflects the economic pressures that can drive crime risk. That said, a B- is meaningfully better than the D-grade Wrigley Park or the C- Bunker Hill. Visitors and residents in Downtown Paterson should exercise standard urban precautions — stay aware of surroundings, avoid isolated areas at night, and report suspicious activity — but the neighborhood is not among the city's highest-risk zones.

Is Paterson a good place to live in 2026?

Paterson presents a genuinely mixed picture for prospective residents. On the positive side, 71% of its 14 analyzed neighborhoods score a B or better for safety, the median home value of $257,305 is relatively accessible for the New York metro area, and median rent of $1,213 is below many comparable cities. The population of 145,484 supports a dense, culturally diverse urban environment with a population density of 6,676 people per square mile. On the challenging side, the city-wide crime grade of D+, a poverty rate of 25.2%, and unemployment at 7.4% signal systemic pressures that affect certain neighborhoods disproportionately. Families prioritizing safety would do well to focus their search on Hillcrest, Eastside Park, Lakeview, or Totowa (B+), where crime grades and income levels are substantially better than the city average. Paterson can be a good place to live — neighborhood selection is the critical variable.

How does neighborhood income correlate with safety grades in Paterson?

The data shows a strong positive relationship between median household income and safety grades across Paterson's neighborhoods. The three A- neighborhoods — Hillcrest ($83,088), Eastside Park ($82,594), and Lakeview ($55,768) — all have incomes well above the city median of $45,141. Moving down the grade scale, B+ neighborhoods like Stoney Road ($53,134) and People's Park ($42,058) sit near or slightly below the city median, while lower-graded areas like Downtown Paterson ($27,611) and Sandy Hill ($33,581) fall notably below it. The one D-grade neighborhood, Wrigley Park, follows this pattern. This correlation underscores why crime maps are most useful when read alongside economic data — safety and socioeconomic conditions are deeply intertwined in Paterson's neighborhoods.