Is Chinatown in New York City a safe neighborhood?

I have a few friends that live in Chinatown and they've never had a problem; but, in my opinion, it's not the most sound sleep I would ever have if I lived there. There's not a ton going on there as far as nightlife and restaurants so there's not a lot of people on the streets late at night. I tend to think that's a problem as far as crime is concerned. And, it isn't close to being gentrified so I feel like there's a lot of riff raff in the area at any given hour of the day.