Crime in Lawrence, NY

Lawrence is a village of 8,480 in Nassau County, about 17 miles southeast of Midtown Manhattan · Updated November 2026

Is Lawrence, NY safe?

Yes, crime in Lawrence is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Lawrence sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 53% of Americans live. Violent crime grades A and property crime A-. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A to B+; see the map below.

A
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 851 of 1,000
About as safe as the typical US neighborhood What this means

53% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Lawrence as a whole, and 47% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Lawrence scores 851.

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.

A
Violent crimeSafety score 873 of 1,000About as much violent crime as the typical US neighborhood
A-
Property crimeSafety score 814 of 1,000About as much property crime as the typical US neighborhood

How it works


Crime map of Lawrence

Map of Lawrence shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

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 Lawrence, NY at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Lawrence, 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 Lawrence

CrimeGrade™ estimates Lawrence has about 30 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 19% less than the US as a whole and 24% less than New York.

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 51% of crime reported in Lawrence. Assault is less common but costs more, because each one does more harm.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.010.05
RapeA20.210.38
RobberyA-60.760.62
AssaultA-728.612.3
Property crime
BurglaryA80.962.4
TheftB13115.413.1
Vehicle theftA+30.372.7
ArsonAunder 10.040.12
VandalismB+333.95.5

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.

Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.


How Lawrence compares with nearby cities

Lawrence has more crime than 6 of its 7 nearest cities. Hewlett Harbor and Woodmere have the least crime nearby.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
LawrenceA851AA-8,480
Cedarhurst 1 mileA874AA-8,750
Inwood 1 mileB+703BB+10,600
Woodmere 2 milesA894AA-11,600
Atlantic Beach 2 milesA884AA1,780
Show all 7
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Hewlett 2 milesA884AA-7,460
Hewlett Harbor 3 milesA913A+A1,170
Valley Stream 4 milesA861AA-52,200

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Lawrence. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Lawrence has more crime than 59% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
LawrenceA851AA-8,480
Caldwell, OHA+985A+A+8,510
Round Hill, VAA+966A+A+8,460
Elmsford, NYA+940A+A+8,450
Reidsville, GAA+936A+A8,490
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Rhome, TXA+935A+A+8,510
Fort Irwin, CAA911AA+8,440
Pismo Beach, CAB+755B+A-8,430
Riverdale, UTB+753A-B+8,510
Center Line, MIB674B-A-8,460
Maplewood, MOB632B+C8,440

Transit, shops and walkability in Lawrence

Two things set Lawrence apart: it has 22 buses and trains an hour at the evening rush, where most Americans have none nearby, and 15.9 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally. Places like that tend to report more theft and robbery, and theft runs high here.

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 Lawrence: C- (26 of 100).22 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 92% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.15.9 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 90% 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. 54% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.C (38 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 87% of US city residents
Show all 6
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.32% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 70% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.1.2 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 70% 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.99% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 66% of US city residents

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Lawrence 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 Lawrence

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Lawrence about $878 a year per household, 27% 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 $5.6 million a year, or $659 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$160,000$19
Rape$100,000$12
Robbery$200,000$24
Assault$800,000$94
Burglary$73,000$9
Theft$670,000$79
Vehicle theft$48,000$6
Arson$8,500$1
Vandalism$240,000$28
Total$2.3 million$271

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 Lawrence 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
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • 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.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Lawrence

Schools in Lawrence, NY average a SchoolGrade of D-: 42% of students test proficient, against 51% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Lawrence on SchoolGrade