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Crime Rate in Paterson, NJ (2025)

The FBI-based Crime Index for Paterson, built from FBI Crime Data Explorer reports for 2025. Scores run 0–100 (higher = safer).

41/100
EHigh risk

Crime Index

Population: 160,567
Data year: 2025 · FBI Crime Data Explorer
#2 most dangerous of 15 cities in New Jersey
100% of population covered by reporting agencies · updated July 8, 2026

Is Paterson safe?

For 2025, Paterson scores 41/100 on our FBI-based Crime Index — a grade E (high risk), which means it reports more crime than the typical US city. Its violent-crime rate of 836 per 100k is 2.7× the US average, and robbery stands out most: 338 reported in 2025, 4.4× the national rate. It ranks #2 most dangerous of 15 cities in New Jersey.

Violent crime
836/100k
2.7× US avg
4.4× NJ avg
Property crime
2,331/100k
1.6× US avg
1.9× NJ avg
Homicide
8.7/100k
2.1× US avg
4.6× NJ avg
Total reported
3,166/100k
1.8× US avg
2.2× NJ avg
9%

Safer than 9% of the 759 US cities we track

1 in 120

Annual odds of a reported violent crime per resident

1 in 43

Annual odds of a reported property crime per resident

Odds are the reported 2025 rate expressed per resident, city-wide — your actual risk varies by neighborhood, time, and situation.

Crime trend in Paterson

4,0662,294523202120222023202420251,1593,166
Reported crime per 100,000 residents · hover a year for detail

Reported crime by offense

Each bar is scaled to the US average for that offense — the dashed line marks 1×. Bars past it run above the national norm; hover a row for detail.

Violent crime

Homicideanchor
2.1× US
8.7
14 total
Rape
-31% US
24.3
39 total
Robbery
›
4.4× US
211
338 total
Aggravated assault
2.6× US
592
951 total

Property crime

Burglary
1.8× US
328
527 total
Larceny-theft
+40% US
1,544
2,479 total
Motor vehicle theft
2.4× US
453
727 total
Arson
0.6× US
5.6
9 total

Rates shown are per 100,000 residents.

Homicide rate

8.72per 100k

Homicide anchors the Crime Index — see methodology.

+112% higher than the national homicide rate of 4.12 per 100k.

How Paterson compares

Paterson against the New Jersey and US averages for 2025.

MetricPatersonNew JerseyUnited States
Crime Index (higher = safer)41E81B73C
Violent crime /100k836192315
Property crime /100k2,3311,2331,487
Homicide /100k8.71.94.1
Total reported /100k3,1661,4251,802

Grade shown per index band (88–100 = A … 0–29 = F). Rates are reported offenses per 100,000 residents.

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Security guides for Paterson

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No area has zero risk

A high Crime Index score means lower reported crime relative to other US cities — it is not a guarantee of safety. Reported crime is not the same as actual crime. Research on the gap between crime that occurs and crime that gets reported to police — often called the "dark figure" of crime — estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime go unreported each year. Every index built on official statistics, including this one, necessarily undercounts real crime. That gap is exactly why homicide — the offense with the smallest dark figure — anchors the calculation instead of a more commonly reported but less reliable category like theft.

Scores on this page reflect FBI-reported data for 2025. See the full methodology →

Compare Paterson to other New Jersey cities

Ranked by Crime Index — closest to Paterson.

Jersey City62 CNewark60 CPassaic58 DTrenton41 E

Head-to-head comparisons

Paterson vs NewarkPaterson vs PassaicPaterson vs Trenton

Frequently asked questions

Is Paterson safe?
Paterson has a Crime Index of 41 out of 100 (grade E — high risk) for 2025, based on FBI-reported violent and property crime rates relative to other US cities. That ranks it #14 of 15 cities in New Jersey by reported crime. Reported crime is not the same as actual crime. Research on the gap between crime that occurs and crime that gets reported to police — often called the "dark figure" of crime — estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime go unreported each year. Every index built on official statistics, including this one, necessarily undercounts real crime. That gap is exactly why homicide — the offense with the smallest dark figure — anchors the calculation instead of a more commonly reported but less reliable category like theft.
What does a "E" grade mean?
A "High risk" grade means Paterson's severity-weighted crime rate falls in the 30–44 range on the Crime Index, out of a national distribution of every city we track for 2025. Grades are calibrated against the national distribution of every area we track for the same data year — they describe an area's relative standing, not an absolute promise. A "Very safe" grade means an area sits among the lowest-crime places in the country with usable data, not that nothing ever happens there.
What is the most common crime in Paterson?
The most frequently reported offense in Paterson for 2025 was larceny-theft, with 2,479 reported incidents. See the full breakdown by offense above for how violent and property crime compare to the US average.
Is crime in Paterson getting better or worse?
There isn't enough multi-year data to state a reliable trend for Paterson.
What are the odds of being a victim of crime in Paterson?
Based on 2025 reported rates, Paterson residents face roughly a 1 in 120 annual chance of a violent crime and about 1 in 43 for a property crime, calculated city-wide. Your individual risk varies widely by neighborhood, time of day, and circumstances.
How does Paterson compare to other US cities?
Paterson is safer than 9% of the 759 US cities we track for 2025, ranked by Crime Index. Its violent-crime rate is 4.4× the New Jersey average and its property-crime rate is 1.9× the New Jersey average.
Does reported crime equal real crime?
No. National research on the dark figure of crime estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime are never reported to police, so any index built on official statistics — including this one — measures a floor on real crime, not a ceiling. That's part of why the index leans most heavily on homicide, the category with the smallest reporting gap.
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