A Tale of Two Crime Rates: Poughkeepsie vs. Dutchess County

It’s no secret that Poughkeepsie doesn’t have the greatest reputation from outsiders. In 2013, Forbes put the city at number 18 on its list of 20 Most Miserable Cities. Despite the number of college campuses in the area, Poughkeepsie is generally considered an unsafe place. It’s hard to argue against that when one compares crime in Poughkeepsie to that of the surrounding Dutchess County.

So, what are the crimes happening in Poughkeepsie? It’s worth noting that most of the crime in Poughkeepsie is property related. Not that stealing a car is a good thing, of course, but it’s certainly better than a more violent alternative.

These numbers leave Poughkeepsie with 254 violent crimes and 733 property crimes in 2015. Maybe that doesn’t sound great, but it actually is an improvement. In his 2015 State of the City Address, Mayor John C. Tkazyik stated that from 2013 to 2014 homicides decreased from eight to three, robberies from 103 to 94 and aggravated assaults from 172 to 160. The data above includes both the city and town of Poughkeepsie, but one can probably assume similar trends.