Syracuse’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Syracuse.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in New York thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Syracuse. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Syracuse neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Syracuse hoods need a little tender loving care. We examined 24 of Syracuse’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live.
$29,010 median income
$27,170 median income
$19,981 median income
$30,302 median income
$35,847 median income
$45,367 median income
$34,589 median income
$31,744 median income
$42,440 median income
$39,879 median income
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is New York’s statewide median.
New York statewide median: $507,794
New York statewide median: $85,974
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Syracuse neighborhoods in 2026
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Syracuse:
- High crime (Estimated)
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Syracuse, New York for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Syracuse.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2026. Skip to the end to see the list of all 24 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
The full plate
Most dangerous neighborhoods to live in Syracuse for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westside | 2,594 | $62,450 | $29,010 |
| 2 | Near Westside | 6,228 | $66,829 | $27,170 |
| 3 | Southwest | 5,082 | $64,867 | $19,981 |
| 4 | Brighton | 8,794 | $58,542 | $30,302 |
| 5 | Near Eastside | 2,727 | $105,020 | $35,847 |
| 6 | Elmwood | 1,719 | $69,933 | $45,367 |
| 6 | North Valley | 5,355 | $70,075 | $34,589 |
| 8 | Washington Square | 13,088 | $76,371 | $31,744 |
| 9 | Salt Springs | 5,199 | $91,929 | $42,440 |
| 10 | Near Northeast | 9,327 | $82,343 | $39,879 |
| 11 | Skunk City | 2,257 | $60,550 | $29,846 |
| 12 | Outer Comstock | 4,522 | $118,750 | $37,740 |
| 13 | Lakefront | 913 | $136,267 | $49,131 |
| 14 | Wescott | 2,892 | $129,267 | $44,748 |
| 15 | University Hill | 8,566 | $156,300 | $12,277 |
| 16 | Lincoln Park | 2,012 | $162,800 | $97,531 |
| 17 | Strathmore | 6,277 | $83,714 | $61,697 |
| 18 | Far West-Side | 5,954 | $92,417 | $54,356 |
| 19 | Northside | 9,055 | $84,880 | $54,301 |
| 20 | South Valley | 5,019 | $234,267 | $52,706 |
| 20 | University | 4,373 | $180,300 | $52,506 |
| 22 | Meadowbrook | 4,632 | $172,367 | $75,346 |
| 23 | Eastwood | 13,236 | $99,475 | $45,204 |
| 24 | Sedgewick | 2,136 | $196,850 | $106,808 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 24 Syracuse neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: The worst neighborhoods around Syracuse
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Syracuse with Westside landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Syracuse are Westside, Near Westside, Southwest, Brighton, Near Eastside, Elmwood, North Valley, Washington Square, Salt Springs, and Near Northeast.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Syracuse aren’t all bad. Sedgewick takes the cake as the best place to live in Syracuse.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below. Not sold on New York? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Worst Neighborhoods In Syracuse FAQs
What is the most dangerous neighborhood in Syracuse?
Westside ranks as the worst neighborhood in Syracuse for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Near Westside and Southwest are next on the list.
What are the worst neighborhoods in Syracuse?
The worst-ranked neighborhoods in Syracuse are Westside, Near Westside, Southwest, Brighton, Near Eastside, Elmwood, North Valley, Washington Square, Salt Springs, and Near Northeast. We scored all 24 neighborhoods in the city.
Why does Westside rank as the worst?
Westside posts the roughest combined numbers in Syracuse: a median household income of $29,010 and a median home value of $62,450, with crime, unemployment, and density folded into the score.
Are these neighborhoods dangerous everywhere?
No. The scores are neighborhood-wide averages, and conditions change block by block and hour by hour. Plenty of people live in these neighborhoods without incident; the numbers just say the odds run tougher.
How do you rank the worst neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on crime, unemployment, income, density, and home values, using Census tract and FBI data. The worst combined score tops the list.
