Is the NYC Subway Safe? NYC Subway Crime Statistics
Major felonies from MTA and NYPD open data, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026, updated monthly · Not affiliated with the MTA
How much crime is there on the NYC subway?
The seven major felonies the MTA counts in NYC Transit, which the NYPD patrols: murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny and car theft.
From Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 the MTA counted 2,143 major felonies in NYC Transit, about 6 a day across the whole subway. That is 7.9% more than the 12 months before (1,987).
Is the NYC subway safe at night?
NYPD complaint reports of the seven major felonies in the subway, Jul 2025 – Jun 2026, by the time they happened. Share of rides uses the MTA's station entries by hour.
Between midnight and 5 AM there were 566 major felonies (27% of the total), while only 2% of rides happen then. Between 10 AM and 4 PM there were 463.
Major felonies by time of day
- Midnight – 5 AM
27% of felonies, 2% of rides566 - 5 – 10 AM
16% of felonies, 25% of rides332 - 10 AM – 4 PM
22% of felonies, 31% of rides463 - 4 – 8 PM
20% of felonies, 30% of rides415 - 8 PM – midnight
16% of felonies, 11% of rides327
Which day has the most subway crime?
NYPD complaint reports of the seven major felonies in the subway, Jul 2025 – Jun 2026, by the day they happened.
Saturday had the most major felonies (350) and Friday the fewest (272).
- Monday274
- Tuesday285
- Wednesday291
- Thursday313
- Friday272
- Saturday350
- Sunday318
Which NYC subway stations have the most crime?
NYPD complaint reports of the seven major felonies, Jul 2025 – Jun 2026, matched to the nearest station by location.
The stations with the most major felonies are mostly the busiest ones, where the most people are.
Most major felonies
- Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av/74 St-Broadway 7,E,F,M,R
42,502 riders a day · 26 thefts, 19 assaults, 6 robberies51 - Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal 1,2,3,7,A,C,E,N,Q,R,W,S
138,509 riders a day · 21 thefts, 17 assaults, 11 robberies49 - Coney Island-Stillwell Av D,F,N,Q
10,003 riders a day · 17 thefts, 12 assaults, 3 robberies32 - 14 St-Union Sq 4,5,6,L,N,Q,R,W
72,947 riders a day · 20 assaults, 8 thefts, 3 robberies31 - Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr 2,3,4,5,B,D,N,Q,R
32,730 riders a day · 14 assaults, 10 thefts, 5 robberies29 - Jay St-MetroTech A,C,F,R
26,741 riders a day · 14 assaults, 10 thefts, 4 robberies28 - Grand Central-42 St 4,5,6,7,S
107,343 riders a day · 20 thefts, 5 assaults, 2 robberies27 - 34 St-Herald Sq B,D,F,M,N,Q,R,W
76,410 riders a day · 18 thefts, 4 assaults, 3 robberies25 - 42 St-Bryant Pk/5 Av 7,B,D,F,M
38,421 riders a day · 12 thefts, 7 assaults, 5 robberies24 - Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer E,J,Z
17,816 riders a day · 19 thefts, 4 assaults, 1 robbery24
Which subway line has the most crime?
NYPD complaint reports of the seven major felonies, Jul 2025 – Jun 2026, at the stations each line stops at. A station served by several lines counts for each of them, so the lines add up to more than the total.
Counting the major felonies at every station a line stops at, the R train had the most (411). Long lines through busy stations count the most.
- R train
41 stations · most at Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av/74 St-Broadway (51)411 - F train
41 stations · most at Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av/74 St-Broadway (51)379 - 2 train
46 stations · most at Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal (49)370 - C train
36 stations · most at Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal (49)349 - A train
39 stations · most at Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal (49)344 - 5 train
42 stations · most at 14 St-Union Sq (31)334 - D train
33 stations · most at Coney Island-Stillwell Av (32)331 - B train
33 stations · most at Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr (29)299 - 4 train
28 stations · most at 14 St-Union Sq (31)296 - E train
22 stations · most at Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av/74 St-Broadway (51)293 - 6 train
37 stations · most at 14 St-Union Sq (31)291 - N train
25 stations · most at Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal (49)289 - M train
30 stations · most at Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av/74 St-Broadway (51)274 - Q train
26 stations · most at Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal (49)266 - 3 train
28 stations · most at Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal (49)253 - 7 train
21 stations · most at Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av/74 St-Broadway (51)241 - 1 train
35 stations · most at Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal (49)208 - J/Z train
28 stations · most at Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer (24)190 - L train
24 stations · most at 14 St-Union Sq (31)151 - G train
19 stations · most at Classon Av (12)70
NYC subway crime by borough
NYPD complaint reports of the seven major felonies in the subway, Jul 2025 – Jun 2026. The Staten Island Railway is not part of these figures.
- Manhattan
40% of the total831 - Brooklyn
27% of the total567 - Queens
17% of the total361 - Bronx
16% of the total344
NYC subway crime by type
Oct 2025 – Sep 2026, with the 12 months before for comparison.
- Grand larceny (theft over $1,000)
Before: 1,004 (+8%)1,088 - Felony assault
Before: 544 (+16%)630 - Robbery
Before: 412 (-4%)396 - Burglary
Before: 10 (+70%)17 - Murder
Before: 5 (+40%)7 - Rape
Before: 12 (-58%)5 - Car theft0
Lesser crimes (misdemeanors)
NYPD complaint reports classed as misdemeanors in the subway: less serious crimes, counted separately from the major felonies.
Besides the major felonies, the NYPD took 23,236 reports of misdemeanors in the subway from Jul 2025 – Jun 2026. The most common was fare evasion and selling swipes (54%).
- Fare evasion and selling swipes12,550
- Drugs2,425
- Assault (less serious)1,822
- Obstructing police or officials1,786
- Trespassing911
- Weapons745
- Vandalism704
- Fraud689
- Petty theft (under $1,000)663
- Sex crimes315
Who are the victims?
NYPD complaint reports of the seven major felonies in the subway. 74 reports gave no age and are left out of the age list.
Of the major felony reports from Jul 2025 – Jun 2026, 1,229 named a man as the victim and 693 a woman. The other 181 named a business or the state, or did not say.
Victims by age
- Under 18127
- 18 – 24374
- 25 – 44959
- 45 – 64408
- 65 and over161
NYC subway crime by year
Major felonies in NYC Transit each full calendar year.
- 20192,477
- 20201,719
- 20211,764
- 20222,299
- 20232,241
- 20242,073
- 20251,962
- Last 12 months2,143
NYC subway crime by month
Major felonies in NYC Transit each month, from the MTA.
Over the last 36 months, the most major felonies were in November 2023 (228) and the fewest in April 2024 (134).
The MTA's railroads
Major felonies on the commuter railroads and the Staten Island Railway, which the MTA Police patrol.
| Last 12 months | 12 months before | |
|---|---|---|
| Long Island Rail Road | 140 | 154 |
| Metro-North | 91 | 113 |
| Staten Island Railway | 3 | 17 |
How safe do riders feel?
The MTA's monthly rider survey (the Pulse survey).
In the MTA's rider survey for September 2026, 78% of subway riders said they felt safe or very safe on trains, and 76% in stations.
- On trains: safe or very safe78%
- On trains: unsafe or very unsafe22%
- In stations: safe or very safe76%
- In stations: unsafe or very unsafe24%
Fires and vandalism
MTA safety and vandalism counts, with the 12 months before for comparison.
From Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 the MTA recorded 1,066 fires in the subway, compared with 884 in the 12 months before.
Vandalism, Sep 2025 – Aug 2026
- Graffiti on subway cars
Before: 563662 - Broken train windows
Before: 291340 - Broken bus windows
Before: 62263 - Damaged screens
Before: 4471 - Damaged OMNY readers
Before: 1444 - Graffiti on buses
Before: 613 - Damaged MetroCard machines
Before: 512
Attacks on subway workers
MTA workplace violence reports (incidents that are crimes under New York law) for New York City Transit subway and Staten Island Railway staff.
From Sep 2025 – Aug 2026, the MTA recorded 483 assaults, threats and other attacks on subway and Staten Island Railway workers, compared with 630 in the 12 months before.
- Harassment (such as shoving)
Before: 564407 - Assault
Before: 5762 - Menacing (threats)
Before: 79 - Forcible touching
Before: 25
Fare evasion and policing
The MTA's fare evasion estimate comes from staff counting riders who enter without paying at a sample of stations. Tickets and arrests are the NYPD's, from the MTA's open data.
The MTA estimates that 10.8% of subway riders did not pay their fare in 2026 Q3.
Riders who did not pay, by quarter
- 2024 Q410.4%
- 2025 Q19.8%
- 2025 Q29.9%
- 2025 Q311%
- 2025 Q410.1%
- 2026 Q110.6%
- 2026 Q210.2%
- 2026 Q310.8%
NYPD tickets and arrests in the subway, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026
| Last 12 months | 12 months before | |
|---|---|---|
| Other summonses | 109,629 | 68,774 |
| Fare evasion tickets | 93,714 | 121,317 |
| Other arrests | 18,073 | 16,103 |
| Fare evasion arrests | 11,581 | 14,348 |
| Fare evasion criminal summonses | 2,178 | 1,947 |
Questions
Is the NYC subway safe?
From Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 the MTA counted 2,143 major felonies in NYC Transit, about 6 a day across the whole subway. Grand larceny (theft over $1,000) was the most common (1,088).
Is the NYC subway safe at night?
From Jul 2025 – Jun 2026, 566 of the NYPD's 2,103 subway felony reports (27%) were between midnight and 5 AM, when only 2% of rides happen. 463 were between 10 AM and 4 PM.
Which NYC subway stations have the most crime?
By number of major felonies reported to the NYPD (Jul 2025 – Jun 2026): Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av/74 St-Broadway (51), Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal (49), Coney Island-Stillwell Av (32). These are among the busiest stations.
Which NYC subway line has the most crime?
Counting the major felonies reported to the NYPD at every station a line stops at (Jul 2025 – Jun 2026): the R train (411), the F train (379), the 2 train (370). Long lines through busy stations count the most.
What day has the most crime on the NYC subway?
Saturday, with 350 major felonies reported to the NYPD from Jul 2025 – Jun 2026. Friday had the fewest (272).
Is subway crime going up or down?
Major felonies were 7.9% more than the 12 months before (1,987). By year: 2,477 in 2019, 1,719 in 2020, 1,764 in 2021, 2,299 in 2022, 2,241 in 2023, 2,073 in 2024, 1,962 in 2025, and 2,143 in the last 12 months.
What is the most common crime on the subway?
Grand larceny (theft over $1,000): 1,088 of the 2,143 major felonies (51%) in the last 12 months.
Is the NYC subway safe for tourists?
Millions of people ride every day, and the MTA counted about 6 major felonies a day across the whole subway in the last 12 months. The most common was grand larceny (theft over $1,000). A large share happen between midnight and 5 AM, when trains and stations are emptiest.
More NYC transit data
- NYC subway ridership: Busiest stations, find your station and an animated subway map, updated daily.
- Every subway station ranked: riders a day, busiest hours, accessibility and elevator reliability for all 424 stations.
- NYC congestion pricing: Zone map, hours, cost and daily data on whether it's working.
- Every subway line ranked: Which line is the worst? On-time rates, delays and a report card for each line.
- NYC bus routes ranked: The busiest, slowest and least reliable buses, with a report card for each route.
- LIRR on-time performance: On-time rates, late and cancelled trains by branch and cause, and ridership.
- Metro-North on-time performance: On-time rates, late and cancelled trains by line and cause, and ridership.
- MTA salaries and overtime: What MTA workers make, the best-paid jobs and overtime, without names.
- NYC bridge and tunnel traffic: Crossings a day on each MTA bridge and tunnel, busiest hours and tolls paid.
- Access-A-Ride report card: Trips, on-time pickups, ride times, no-shows, complaints and phone wait times.
- MTA jobs and what they pay: How many people work at the MTA, typical pay for 80 jobs, hiring and overtime.
- Staten Island Railway: On-time rate, ridership, trains a day, breakdowns and stations.
- Where to get an E-ZPass: Map and list of every place in New York that sells E-ZPass tags.
- Live NYC subway map: every route and station on one map, with live train positions.
The MTA says its figures count arrests for the seven major felonies; the NYPD figures are complaint reports. Neither is every crime. Data: MTA Major Felonies (data.ny.gov); NYPD Complaint Data Historic and Current Year (NYC Open Data, updated every few months); MTA hourly ridership for riders by hour and station; MTA Workplace Violence Penal Law Incidents, MTA Summonses and Arrests and MTA NYCT Subway Fare Evasion (data.ny.gov). Updated Nov 3, 2026.
Source code: github.com/MantieReid/mta-data-analysis · Analysis by Mantie Reid II (CC BY 4.0).
This is an independent data analysis project and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
Data is sourced from the MTA through the New York State Open Data Portal. Visualizations, calculations, and interpretations are independently produced. Data may be revised, incomplete, or delayed. For official transit information, visit mta.info.