The honest answer first: compared with the rest of the Netherlands, Eindhoven as a whole scores modestly on crime and nuisance. That is not surprising for a city of a quarter of a million people with a busy nightlife area. But 'Eindhoven' is not one place. Some neighbourhoods are quieter than the average Dutch village, and in others you hear the city at night.
A second caveat: even Eindhoven's safest neighbourhood does not make the national top. The number one does better than 72 percent of all Dutch neighbourhoods. That is well above average, but in a city like Tilburg you will find neighbourhoods above 95 percent.
What are we measuring?
We use the Leefbaarometer, the tool the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations uses to measure liveability in every neighbourhood in the country. One part of it covers nuisance and insecurity. It includes registered crimes, vandalism and reports of nuisance, among other things. For each neighbourhood we calculate what percentage of Dutch neighbourhoods score worse. So 70 means: quieter than 70 percent of the country.
We look at neighbourhoods (buurten) rather than districts, because Eindhoven's districts are large and the differences within one district can be big. Neighbourhoods with fewer than 500 residents are left out. Where at least three residents have written a review, we also mention how they rate safety themselves.
The ten quietest neighbourhoods
| # | Neighbourhood | District | Better than | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Schuttersbosch | Putten | 72% | for sale |
| 2 | Koudenhoven | Oud-Tongelre | 72% | for sale |
| 3 | Kerkdorp Acht | Achtse Molen | 70% | for sale, for rent |
| 4 | Ooievaarsnest | Gestelse Ontginning | 70% | for sale |
| 5 | Luytelaer | Dommelbeemd | 67% | for sale, for rent |
| 6 | Roosten | Kortonjo | 67% | for sale |
| 7 | Blixembosch-West | Aanschot | 66% | for sale, for rent |
| 8 | Bosrijk | Meerhoven | 63% | for sale |
| 9 | Waterrijk | Meerhoven | 62% | for sale, for rent |
| 10 | Zandrijk | Meerhoven | 61% | for sale, for rent |
Small, quiet residential areas
What stands out at the top: nearly all of them are small neighbourhoods, from a few hundred to a few thousand residents, away from the centre. Schuttersbosch and Koudenhoven share first place. With just over 700 and just over 500 residents, they are quiet residential streets where little happens and where homes rarely come up for sale.
Kerkdorp Acht, with 3,500 residents, is the largest neighbourhood in the top three and the only one with a real village core. Residents call Acht 'beautiful and safe' in their reviews; one finds it a little posh, but pleasant to live in. More than twenty homes for sale in Kerkdorp Acht are listed right now, more than in any other neighbourhood on this list.
Meerhoven: three times in the top ten
The only district that appears more than once is Meerhoven, with Bosrijk, Waterrijk and Zandrijk. Residents are happy with safety there too: the district as a whole gets an 8.4 for it, based on 7 reviews. They describe Meerhoven as quiet and child-friendly. An older review from Waterrijk does mention theft and vandalism. Grasrijk, Meerhoven's largest neighbourhood, ranks a bit lower: better than 49 percent of the country.
Where it gets busy
At the other end of the list are the neighbourhoods in and around the centre. The Binnenstad (city centre) scores better than only 1 percent of Dutch neighbourhoods, and Witte Dame, Bergen and Limbeek-Noord are below 5 percent too. That mostly reflects how busy they are: where there are lots of bars, shops and nightlife, more incidents and more nuisance get recorded. People who live there usually choose that liveliness on purpose.
What residents think
The Leefbaarometer measures what gets recorded. Residents see things differently. In several neighbourhoods with at least three reviews, the gap is clear:
- Oude Toren (Begijnenbroek): better than 12 percent of the country, yet residents rate safety 8.5 (4 reviews).
- Irisbuurt (Oud-Stratum): 17 percent, residents give 8.3 (3 reviews). One calls it calm and friendly, despite occasional noise from motorbikes and partygoers.
- Kronehoef (Erp): 13 percent, residents give 8.3 (3 reviews).
- Woensel-West: 12 percent, residents give 7.6 (5 reviews). Lively by day, sometimes less pleasant at night.
- Jagershoef (Ontginning): 10 percent, residents give 7.5 (6 reviews).
- Hanevoet (Gestelse Ontginning): 27 percent, residents give 6.8 (5 reviews).
- Burghplan (Putten) and Bennekel-Oost (Oud-Gestel): 16 and 13 percent, residents give 6.7 and 6.3 (3 reviews each).
So residents are often milder than the figures. That is not a contradiction: people who live somewhere know their street and which spots to avoid at night. If you want a feel for a neighbourhood, go and have a look on a weekday evening.
Keep looking
All neighbourhoods and districts with their scores are on the page for the municipality of Eindhoven. The full listings are under homes for sale and homes for rent in Eindhoven. Live in Eindhoven? Rate your neighbourhood, especially if it has no resident score here yet.
Want more? See which districts Eindhoven residents rate highest, compare with the safest neighbourhoods in Tilburg, or read about the safest neighbourhoods in Utrecht.
