As someone who lives in NYC, I can tell you that there is almost no graffiti in this city. You are probably about 25 years in the past with this idea. Sort of like people who complain about English food, not realizing the revolution in food that has occurred in that lovely country.
That said, I do get a little tired of the hygenic-crazy freepers who think that there is nothing better than living in a germ free environment rather than the rough and tumble of a great democracy and republic that is currently in big trouble. Personally, I think a little dirt is good for the immune system.
I livde in NYC through during the long slide into crime and filth and witnessed a turn around. I’ve traveled there frequently as NYC recovered. While graffiti is pretty much gone there, you can still find it. You see it in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island, as well as Jersey City.
I see a lot of graffiti in Los Angeles now and in Washington, D.C. New York is cleaner than it used to be, but is still a pretty dirty city where many people use the street as a trash can an litter is constantly blowing with wind along the streets an din the parks. You realize this if you visit Chicago, which is very clean and neat.