25 Counties in New York State Are the Most Dangerous, 4 in CNY

It comes as no surprise New York City has the worst violent crime rate in the state with Brooklyn and the Bronx topping the list. What about counties outside the Big Apple? That answer may surprise you.

Oneida County has the distinction in Central New York of having the highest crime index when you combine violent crimes and property crimes. Albany, Erie, Broome, and Schenectady are the only other counties outside the city with a higher crime index rate.

Why So High

Why so high? Property crimes are the problem. Oneida County has the 4th highest property crime rate, higher than Erie, a county with nearly 5 times the population.

There have been a string of vehicle and home break-ins over the past several years. That's why local police always stress the importance of locking car doors and your home. It's also why more and more people are installing home security systems.

25 Most Dangerous NY Counties

We broke down the most recent County Crime Stats from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and came up with 25 counties with the highest violent crime rate, 4 in Central New York.

The Division of Criminal Justice Services in New York calculates the overall crime rate each year by dividing the total number of Index crimes submitted by police agencies in each county by the county’s population from the U.S. Census Bureau and multiplying the result by 100,000.