menu
Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.



Paterson, NJ crime analytics

Source & Methodology

Analytics built by:   Location, Inc.

Raw data sources:   18,000 local law enforcement agencies in the U.S.

Date(s) & Update Frequency:   Reflects 2022 calendar year; released from FBI in Oct. 2023 (latest available). Updated annually. Where is 2023 data?

Methodology:   Our nationwide meta-analysis overcomes the issues inherent in any crime database, including non-reporting and reporting errors. This is possible by associating the 9.4 million reported crimes in the U.S, including over 2 million geocoded point locations…. Read more about Scout's Crime Data

The crime rate in Paterson is considerably higher than the national average across all communities in America from the largest to the smallest, although at 26 crimes per one thousand residents, it is not among the communities with the very highest crime rate. The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in Paterson is 1 in 39. Based on FBI crime data, Paterson is not one of the safest communities in America. Relative to New Jersey, Paterson has a crime rate that is higher than 89% of the state's cities and towns of all sizes. In fact, after researching dangerous places to live, NeighborhoodScout found Paterson to be one of the top 100 most dangerous cities in the U.S.A.

How does the crime rate in Paterson compare to similar sized communities across America? When NeighborhoodScout compared Paterson with other communities its size, we found that the crime rate was near the average for all other communities of similar size. So, whether Paterson's crime rate is high or low compared to all places in the US, when we control for population size and compare it to places that are similar in size, it is near the middle of the pack in crime rate; not much more or less dangerous, and about what we would expect from the statistics.

Now let us turn to take a look at how Paterson does for violent crimes specifically, and then how it does for property crimes. This is important because the overall crime rate can be further illuminated by understanding if violent crime or property crimes (or both) are the major contributors to the general rate of crime in Paterson.

For Paterson, we found that the violent crime rate is one of the highest in the nation, across communities of all sizes (both large and small). Violent offenses tracked included rape, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, including assault with a deadly weapon. According to NeighborhoodScout's analysis of FBI reported crime data, your chance of becoming a victim of one of these crimes in Paterson is one in 106.

NeighborhoodScout's analysis also reveals that Paterson's rate for property crime is 16 per one thousand population. This makes Paterson a place where there is an above average chance of becoming a victim of a property crime, when compared to all other communities in America of all population sizes. Property crimes are motor vehicle theft, arson, larceny, and burglary. Your chance of becoming a victim of any of these crimes in Paterson is one in 61.

Paterson Crime Data

total Crime Index

14

(100 is safest)


Safer than 14% of U.S. cities.

Paterson Annual Crimes

  Violent Property Total

Number of Crimes

1,477

2,584

4,061

Crime Rate
(per 1,000 residents)

9.43

16.49

25.92

Violent Crime

Violent Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents)

20 15 10 5 0
9.43
2.03
National Median: 4
    Paterson
    New Jersey

Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Violent Crime

1 in 106

in Paterson

1 in 493

in New Jersey

Paterson Violent Crimes

Population: 156,661
Murder Rape Robbery Assault
Report Total Unreported Unreported Unreported Unreported
Rate per 1,000 Unreported Unreported Unreported Unreported

United States Violent Crimes

Population: 333,287,557
Murder Rape Robbery Assault
Report Total 21,156 133,294 220,450 893,980
Rate per 1,000 0.06 0.40 0.66 2.68

Property Crime

Property Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents)

100 75 50 25 0
16.49
14.17
National Median: 20
    Paterson
    New Jersey

Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Property Crime

1 in 61

in Paterson

1 in 71

in New Jersey

Property Crimes

Population: 156,661
burglary theft motor vehicle theft
Report Total Unreported Unreported Unreported
Rate per 1,000 Unreported Unreported Unreported

United States Property Crimes

Population: 333,287,557
burglary theft motor vehicle theft
Report Total 899,293 4,672,363 942,173
Rate per 1,000 2.70 14.02 2.83

Paterson Crimes Per Square Mile

200 150 100 50 0
467
61
National Median: 27.0
    Paterson
    New Jersey