Emerson is a borough of 7,650 in Bergen County, about 15 miles north of Midtown Manhattan · Updated November 2026
Is Emerson, NJ safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Emerson has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A, safer than the neighborhoods where 74% of Americans live. Violent crime grades A+ and property crime A. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A; see the map below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 920 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
74% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Emerson as a whole, and 26% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Emerson scores 920.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Emerson, NJ at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Emerson, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
Crime rates and types in Emerson
CrimeGrade™ estimates Emerson has about 18 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 51% less than the US as a whole and 35% less than New Jersey.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
Theft makes up about 49% of crime reported in Emerson. Assault is less common but costs more, because each one does more harm.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
The Emerson Police Department's 2024 report of theft was incomplete, so CrimeGrade™ combined the department's count with its own estimate. The department's 2024 count of simple assault fell far below its usual level, a sign of a reporting gap, so CrimeGrade™ used its own estimate instead.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
How Emerson compares with nearby cities
Emerson has more crime than 9 of its 10 nearest cities. Oradell and Old Tappan have the least crime nearby.
Empty homes, parking lots and walkability in Emerson
Two things set Emerson apart: it has 0.7 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally, and 6 buses and trains an hour at the evening rush, where most Americans have none nearby. Places with little parking-lot space tend to report less theft; here theft sits near the national middle.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.NoneUS: 7.1%Lower than for 99% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.0.7 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 84% of US city residents
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft and assault. 75% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (25 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 73% of US city residents
Show all 6
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Emerson: C- (26 of 100).6 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 74% of US city residents
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.100% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 74% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.9.2 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 62% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Emerson on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What crime costs Emerson
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Emerson about $397 a year per household, 67% less than the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $1.8 million a year, or $235 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$60,000
$8
Rape
$28,000
$4
Robbery
$20,000
$3
Assault
$460,000
$61
Burglary
$60,000
$8
Theft
$350,000
$45
Vehicle theft
$24,000
$3
Arson
$2,300
under $1
Vandalism
$23,000
$3
Total
$1.0 million
$134
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Emerson means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
Schools in Emerson, NJ average a SchoolGrade of A+: 58% of students test proficient, against 44% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Emerson on SchoolGrade
