Long Island Crime Statistics (Nassau & Suffolk)
Long Island, New York is home to nearly 3 million residents across Nassau County and Suffolk County. This page provides a county-level look at reported crime using official data from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), New York Open Data, and related government sources.
For purposes of the statistics on this page, Long Island refers to Nassau and Suffolk Counties combined. Although Brooklyn and Queens are geographically located on Long Island, they are part of New York City and are not included in the regional totals calculated here.
DCJS uses seven Index Crime categories to measure broad crime trends. Violent Index Crimes are murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Property Index Crimes are burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft. These statistics count crimes reported to law enforcement and therefore do not represent every crime that may have occurred.
The latest complete county-level annual series currently published in the DCJS county dataset is for 2024. More recent police-agency information is available for portions of 2025, but those figures cover specific departments rather than every reporting agency in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. The two types of data are therefore presented separately below.
Long Island Crime Snapshot: 2024
| Measure | Nassau County | Suffolk County | Long Island Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCJS Population Denominator | 1,411,930 | 1,560,162 | 2,972,092 |
| Total Index Crimes | 16,260 | 19,213 | 35,473 |
| Violent Index Crimes | 2,294 | 1,451 | 3,745 |
| Property Index Crimes | 13,966 | 17,762 | 31,728 |
| Index Crime Rate per 100,000 | 1,151.6 | 1,231.5 | 1,193.5 |
| Violent Crime Rate per 100,000 | 162.5 | 93.0 | 126.0 |
| Property Crime Rate per 100,000 | 989.1 | 1,138.5 | 1,067.5 |
| Violent Crimes Involving a Firearm | 219 | 223 | 442 |
| Firearm Violent-Crime Rate per 100,000 | 15.5 | 14.3 | 14.9 |
Source: New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, Index, Violent, Property, and Firearm Rates by County. The Long Island totals and combined rates are calculated from the Nassau and Suffolk county counts and the population denominators used by DCJS. DCJS receives its annual county population figures from the FBI, which bases them on U.S. Census information.
Property offenses accounted for approximately 89.4% of Nassau and Suffolk Index Crimes in 2024, while violent offenses accounted for approximately 10.6%. Suffolk recorded more total Index Crime than Nassau because of its higher property-crime total, but Nassau recorded more violent Index Crime and had the higher violent-crime rate.
The firearm figures above are the DCJS count of violent Index Crimes involving a firearm. They should not be interpreted as a count of shootings or shooting victims, which are tracked through separate law-enforcement reporting systems.
2024 Index Crime by Offense
| Index Crime Category | Nassau County | Suffolk County | Long Island Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murder | 15 | 17 | 32 |
| Rape | 160 | 147 | 307 |
| Robbery | 542 | 229 | 771 |
| Aggravated Assault | 1,577 | 1,058 | 2,635 |
| Burglary | 1,030 | 710 | 1,740 |
| Larceny | 12,385 | 15,811 | 28,196 |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 551 | 1,241 | 1,792 |
| Total Index Crime | 16,260 | 19,213 | 35,473 |
Larceny was by far the largest Index Crime category in both counties, accounting for 28,196 of the 35,473 Index Crimes reported across Nassau and Suffolk in 2024. Suffolk recorded substantially more larcenies and motor vehicle thefts, while Nassau recorded more robberies and aggravated assaults.
Ten-Year Trend in Reported Index Crime: 2015-2024
| Year | Nassau County | Suffolk County | Long Island Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 16,358 | 24,496 | 40,854 |
| 2016 | 15,278 | 23,092 | 38,370 |
| 2017 | 14,039 | 21,462 | 35,501 |
| 2018 | 13,383 | 18,977 | 32,360 |
| 2019 | 13,387 | 18,194 | 31,581 |
| 2020 | 12,244 | 18,148 | 30,392 |
| 2021 | 12,538 | 17,114 | 29,652 |
| 2022 | 18,553 | 20,882 | 39,435 |
| 2023 | 18,086 | 20,999 | 39,085 |
| 2024 | 16,260 | 19,213 | 35,473 |
Source: New York State DCJS county Index Crime data. Long Island totals are calculated by adding the Nassau and Suffolk county totals for each year.
Reported Index Crime across Nassau and Suffolk declined substantially from 2015 through 2021 before increasing sharply in 2022. The combined total then decreased slightly in 2023 and more substantially in 2024. Long Island recorded 35,473 Index Crimes in 2024, approximately 9.2% fewer than in 2023 and 13.2% fewer than in 2015.
From 2023 to 2024, Nassau County’s total declined approximately 10.1%, from 18,086 to 16,260. Suffolk’s declined approximately 8.5%, from 20,999 to 19,213.
Nassau and Suffolk Crime Patterns
The 2024 county data illustrates why raw crime totals and crime rates should be considered together. Suffolk County recorded 19,213 Index Crimes compared with 16,260 in Nassau, and its overall Index Crime rate was also somewhat higher at 1,231.5 per 100,000 compared with 1,151.6 in Nassau.
The violent-crime pattern was different. Nassau recorded 2,294 violent Index Crimes and a rate of 162.5 per 100,000, while Suffolk recorded 1,451 and a rate of 93.0. Suffolk’s higher overall Index Crime total was driven primarily by property crime, including 15,811 larcenies and 1,241 motor vehicle thefts.
Countywide statistics can also conceal significant local differences. Nassau and Suffolk contain numerous cities, towns, villages, police districts, university police agencies, county departments, and State Police reporting areas. Readers looking for neighborhood-level conditions should consult the relevant local law-enforcement agency in addition to countywide totals.
More Recent 2025 Police-Agency Trend
Although complete 2025 county totals are not yet part of the annual DCJS county series used above, the state has published more recent data for the two largest police departments on Long Island: the Nassau County Police Department and Suffolk County Police Department.
| Reported by Nassau County PD + Suffolk County PD | Jan.-Aug. 2024 | Jan.-Aug. 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Index Crime | 20,129 | 17,300 | -14% |
| Violent Index Crime | 2,051 | 1,771 | -14% |
| Property Index Crime | 18,078 | 15,529 | -14% |
| Burglary | 973 | 647 | -34% |
| Larceny | 16,082 | 13,992 | -13% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 1,023 | 890 | -13% |
Important: These figures cover only the Nassau County Police Department and Suffolk County Police Department for January through August. They are not full Nassau and Suffolk county totals and should not be substituted for the 2024 county data above. Other village, town, city, university, State Police, and specialized agencies are not represented in this comparison.
The department-level data nevertheless indicates that the decline seen in the 2024 county totals continued into at least part of 2025 among the two agencies responsible for policing much of the region.
Hate Crime Statistics
New York State tracks hate crimes separately from the seven standard Index Crime categories. Under New York’s hate-crime law, specified offenses can be classified as hate crimes when a victim, group, or property is targeted in whole or substantial part because of a perception or belief involving a protected characteristic such as race, religion, national origin, gender, disability, age, or sexual orientation.
| Year | Nassau County | Suffolk County | Long Island Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 61 incidents | 28 incidents | 89 |
| 2023 | 80 incidents | 30 incidents | 110 |
| 2024 | 44 incidents | 22 incidents | 66 |
In 2024, Nassau County’s 44 reported hate crime incidents consisted of 15 crimes against persons and 29 property crimes. Suffolk’s 22 incidents consisted of 12 crimes against persons and 10 property crimes. These categories describe hate crime reporting and should not be added to the Index Crime totals as though they were a separate eighth crime category, since the underlying offenses may also fall within other crime classifications.
Hate crime totals depend on victims reporting incidents, law-enforcement investigation, classification, and subsequent review. DCJS notes that previously reported figures can change as new information is received, and participation in hate crime reporting is not mandatory for every law-enforcement agency.
Youth Justice Data
Youth justice statistics are maintained separately from the adult Index Crime series. New York’s system includes police contacts and arrests involving people younger than 18, juvenile delinquent probation intake, Family Court petitions, probation supervision, and Youth Part proceedings involving adolescent and juvenile offenders.
The DCJS youth justice statistics currently include county-level youth population information, five-year arrest and criminal-activity data, juvenile delinquent probation and Family Court dashboards, and Youth Part statistics. The youth justice visualizations were updated in May 2026, while the state’s county arrest and criminal-activity resource includes newer youth reporting from 2025.
These measures should not be compared directly with the adult Index Crime totals on this page. DCJS cautions that youth justice figures often represent cases at particular processing points rather than unique young people. The same youth can therefore appear in more than one part of the justice system, and the dashboards do not track an individual continuously from one stage to another.
New York State and National Crime Context
Long Island’s county figures can be placed within broader state and national crime trends, but comparisons require care because annual release dates, population estimates, participation, and reporting systems differ.
| Reporting Area | Latest Data Used Here | Key Measure |
|---|---|---|
| Nassau + Suffolk Counties | 2024 DCJS county data | 35,473 Index Crimes; combined rate approximately 1,193.5 per 100,000 |
| New York State | 2024 DCJS data | 423,486 Index Crimes statewide |
| United States | 2025 FBI national estimates | Violent crime rate 327.6 per 100,000, down 9.3% from 2024; property crime down 12.4% |
DCJS reports that statewide Index Crime in 2024 was 63% below the 1990 level, although the 423,486 crimes reported statewide were 26% above New York’s 2019 low. Long Island’s 35,473 reported Index Crimes represented approximately 8.4% of the statewide total.
Nationally, the FBI reported another substantial decline in 2025. The estimated violent-crime rate fell 9.3% from 2024 to 2025, from 362.9 to 327.6 offenses per 100,000 residents. The estimated number of murders declined 18.1%, robbery declined 18.5%, rape declined 7.6%, aggravated assault declined 7.2%, and property crime declined 12.4%.
Those FBI statistics provide national context, but they should not be used as a direct mathematical comparison with the Long Island county rate. The FBI produces national estimates from participating agencies, while the Long Island figures on this page are calculated from the DCJS county reporting system.
How to Read Long Island Crime Statistics
Reported crime is not the same as all crime that occurred. DCJS statistics are based on offenses reported to police. Crimes that are never reported are not included in these totals.
Rates and counts answer different questions. A larger county may record more crimes simply because more people live there. Rates per 100,000 residents adjust for population and are generally more useful when comparing jurisdictions.
Index Crime does not include every criminal offense. The seven Index Crime categories are used as standardized indicators of overall crime trends. Drug offenses, fraud, simple assault, weapons offenses, criminal mischief, and many other offenses are outside the seven-category Index Crime total.
County totals differ from police-department totals. Nassau and Suffolk each contain multiple reporting agencies. A county total combines the data attributed to the county in the DCJS system, while statistics from the Nassau County Police Department or Suffolk County Police Department describe only those agencies.
Current-year data can be preliminary. DCJS publishes more recent agency information during the year, but those records can be updated as agencies submit corrections or additional reports. Annual county data is better suited for long-term comparisons.
Methodology
- Main county dataset: New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Index, Violent, Property, and Firearm Rates by County and Index Crimes by County and Agency.
- Index Crime definition: Murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft. Murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault are classified as violent Index Crimes; burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft are property Index Crimes.
- Population denominator: The county populations used for the 2024 crime rates are the population estimates contained in the DCJS dataset. DCJS states that these are supplied annually by the FBI based on U.S. Census information.
- Combined Long Island figures: Nassau and Suffolk counts are added together. Combined rates are calculated as the combined count divided by the combined DCJS population denominator, multiplied by 100,000. The two county rates are not simply averaged.
- Firearm measure: DCJS firearm counts represent violent Index Crimes involving a firearm. They are not synonymous with shooting incidents, victims shot, or firearm arrests.
- 2025 police-agency trend: January through August 2025 figures cover the Nassau County Police Department and Suffolk County Police Department only and are shown separately from the complete county series.
- Hate crimes: Hate crime incidents are reported through a separate DCJS dataset and can be revised as additional information is received. They are not added to the seven-category Index Crime total.
- Youth justice: Youth arrest, probation, Family Court, and Youth Part data are maintained through specialized DCJS reporting systems and are not directly comparable with adult Index Crime totals.
- National comparisons: FBI national estimates are used only for broad context. Participation, estimation methodology, timing, and reporting systems differ from the New York State county data.
Official Data Sources & Updates
Data reviewed: September 22, 2026.
The primary source for the county statistics on this page is the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services crime statistics system. DCJS collects crime reports from more than 500 police and sheriff’s departments and compiles them as New York State’s official Uniform Crime Reporting statistics.
The 2024 Nassau and Suffolk counts, rates, population denominators, offense totals, and firearm measures are drawn from the New York Open Data county crime-rate dataset and the DCJS Index Crimes by County and Agency dataset. DCJS identifies its county and regional statistics as full-year historical data and maintains separate reporting-agency resources for newer partial-year information.
Hate crime figures are drawn from the DCJS Hate Crimes by County and Bias Type dataset. Youth justice information comes from the current DCJS youth justice dashboards and supporting resources. National statistics are drawn from the FBI Crime Data Explorer and the FBI’s annual Reported Crimes in the Nation releases.
Readers seeking more localized information should also consult the appropriate law-enforcement agency, including the Nassau County Police Department, Suffolk County Police Department, or the municipality responsible for the location being researched. Countywide statistics are designed to show broad patterns and should not be interpreted as a measure of conditions on a particular street or in a particular neighborhood.
Long Island’s official crime data shows a different picture than the earlier version of this page suggested. Nassau and Suffolk recorded 35,473 Index Crimes in 2024, down from 39,085 in 2023. Property crime continued to account for the large majority of reported Index Crime, while the most recent available police-agency and national data also point to declining overall crime through 2025. Future annual county releases may revise individual figures and will be incorporated as DCJS publishes newer complete county data.
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