Safest Cities in Massachusetts

AdvisorSmith studied levels of reported crimes in cities across the state of Massachusetts to find the safest cities in the state. Our research was based upon crime data published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which reports crimes from cities across the country. We used the volume and mix of reported crimes to calculate a crime score for cities across the state of Massachusetts by adjusting the level of reported crime by the severity of the crime, as well as the population level in each city.

Our study considered crime levels in 284 Massachusetts cities. In total, we studied 26 large cities with over 50,000 residents, 153 midsize cities with between 10,000 and 50,000 residents, and 105 small cities with under 10,000 residents. The average crime score in Massachusetts cities was 27.

Safest Large Cities in Massachusetts

The average crime score for large cities in Massachusetts was 49, and the range of crime scores was between 11 and 109 for cities with over 50,000 residents.

The safest large city in Massachusetts was Newton. This suburb, located west of Boston, is composed of a set of 13 village communities. Notably, Newton hosts two symphony orchestras and is known for good public schools. The city also has good public transportation links to Boston.

The large city with the highest levels of reported crime in the state was Springfield. Located on the east bank of the Connecticut River on the border of Connecticut, Springfield is known for the many inventions developed there, including the first American dictionary and the first American gas-powered automobile. The city is also host to numerous higher education institutions.

Rank	City	Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Property Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Crime Score
1	Newton	2.6	5.8	11.3
2	Brookline	2.4	8.5	16.0
3	Waltham	6.0	8.2	23.1
4	Medford	5.6	9.2	25.3
5	Methuen	7.3	10.9	27.7
6	Peabody	6.9	8.2	28.2
7	Somerville	5.2	12.6	28.7
8	Weymouth	6.7	8.0	30.9
9	Malden	8.0	11.8	33.8
10	Taunton	10.2	6.0	36.5
11	Plymouth	10.3	9.8	38.9
12	Revere	11.0	12.2	40.2
13	Framingham	8.5	10.9	40.9
14	Cambridge	9.7	16.5	41.1
15	Quincy	10.7	12.2	44.2
16	Lowell	16.1	14.8	50.0
17	Lynn	12.4	14.3	53.0
18	Haverhill	16.3	13.1	56.7
19	Lawrence	18.2	11.9	65.6
20	Boston	17.7	18.9	68.6
21	Worcester	18.6	20.5	71.7
22	Chicopee	21.6	23.9	78.9
23	Fall River	21.6	12.1	79.6
24	Brockton	22.5	19.4	85.9
25	New Bedford	31.6	22.5	90.2
26	Springfield	35.3	26.0	109.1

Safest Midsize Cities in Massachusetts

The safest midsize city in Massachusetts was Hopkinton. This city of about 19,000 residents is located 30 miles west of Boston. The city is best known for hosting the start of the Boston Marathon on an annual basis. The city also serves as one of the headquarters of the company Dell EMC.

For midsize cities in Massachusetts, the average crime score was 26. Scores for midsize cities ranged from as low as 3 to as high as 113. We studied 153 midsize cities in Massachusetts with between 10,000 and 50,000 residents.

Rank	City	Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Property Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Crime Score
1	Hopkinton	1.8	1.6	3.4
2	Norfolk	1.1	2.1	3.6
3	Franklin	2.2	1.2	3.7
4	Clinton	1.3	1.0	4.0
5	Holden	1.4	2.2	4.6
6	Shrewsbury	1.0	3.3	4.9
7	Milton	1.2	2.2	5.7
8	Westford	1.5	2.2	5.8
9	Medway	1.6	2.0	5.9
10	Southborough	1.6	2.9	5.9
11	Winchester	0.7	3.9	6.0
12	Bedford	1.0	2.8	6.3
13	Reading	1.1	4.6	6.3
14	Lexington	1.2	2.3	6.4
15	Wellesley	1.6	4.0	6.8
16	Sharon	1.4	2.5	7.1
17	Needham	2.0	4.3	8.2
18	Middleton	1.9	4.1	8.4
19	Weston	2.2	2.3	8.9
20	Norton	1.7	0.7	9.4
21	Lynnfield	2.8	5.9	9.4
22	Grafton	2.2	2.4	9.5
23	Billerica	3.0	3.9	9.5
24	Northborough	2.8	5.8	9.6
25	Duxbury	2.9	3.6	9.8
26	Hanover	0.4	8.4	9.8
27	Scituate	2.4	3.3	9.9
28	Belmont	1.8	6.8	9.9
29	Andover	2.4	5.9	10.0
30	Sudbury	1.8	3.4	10.2
31	Holliston	3.3	2.7	10.3
32	Rehoboth	3.3	3.8	10.4
33	Arlington	2.9	3.7	10.8
34	North Andover	2.4	5.2	10.8
35	Pembroke	3.1	4.4	11.4
36	Norwell	2.1	4.6	11.6
37	Groton	3.4	2.2	11.7
38	Marshfield	2.8	2.8	12.1
39	Charlton	4.8	4.0	12.4
40	North Reading	3.1	3.8	12.8
41	Concord	3.0	4.6	12.8
42	Swampscott	2.7	7.4	13.0
43	Belchertown	3.9	3.6	13.1
44	Beverly	2.4	4.9	13.2
45	Spencer	2.0	5.5	13.4
46	Dracut	4.8	4.4	14.2
47	Longmeadow	2.9	7.6	14.5
48	Ashland	3.6	4.3	14.7
49	Marblehead	2.8	5.5	15.0
50	Acton	4.6	2.8	15.1
51	Melrose	3.7	6.1	15.5
52	Ipswich	3.4	3.3	15.7
53	Acushnet	5.1	3.3	16.0
54	Littleton	4.6	4.6	16.5
55	Westwood	3.1	10.2	16.7
56	Dedham	1.9	13.0	17.1
57	Pepperell	4.5	4.8	17.1
58	Tyngsboro	4.6	3.8	17.3
59	Wakefield	4.5	6.0	17.7
60	Wilmington	4.1	6.4	18.1
61	Watertown	4.3	8.8	18.3
62	Hingham	3.4	7.6	18.3
63	Wrentham	1.8	14.8	19.0
64	Chelmsford	2.5	11.3	19.1
65	Lakeville	3.9	7.4	19.4
66	Westport	5.0	7.0	19.6
67	Uxbridge	6.4	5.3	19.6
68	Natick	3.3	10.5	19.7
69	Bridgewater	4.8	3.5	19.7
70	Easton	4.1	5.8	19.9
71	Hanson	7.7	4.3	20.2
72	Newburyport	6.2	6.9	20.6
73	Stoneham	4.3	7.7	20.8
74	East Bridgewater	6.3	4.4	20.9
75	Amesbury	5.8	7.5	21.1
76	Maynard	5.8	3.7	21.9
77	Kingston	5.5	7.8	22.2
78	Winthrop	5.1	6.9	22.3
79	Sandwich	6.6	4.8	22.4
80	Norwood	6.6	7.4	23.3
81	Northbridge	5.3	8.4	23.4
82	North Attleboro	3.7	14.4	23.5
83	Gloucester	7.6	5.4	23.5
84	Milford	7.9	5.9	23.6
85	Woburn	4.6	10.3	23.8
86	Millbury	5.2	10.0	24.5
87	Abington	6.2	9.3	24.7
88	Amherst	5.0	4.4	24.7
89	South Hadley	7.6	8.8	24.8
90	Harwich	7.0	8.6	25.4
91	Whitman	6.9	6.9	25.5
92	Bellingham	6.5	11.3	25.8
93	Braintree	6.6	13.1	26.1
94	Westborough	7.9	10.4	26.3
95	Lunenburg	4.3	10.9	26.3
96	East Longmeadow	6.8	10.6	26.5
97	Carver	7.8	5.8	26.7
98	Swansea	8.6	7.1	27.1
99	Rockland	7.4	3.3	27.4
100	Seekonk	3.9	15.4	28.1
101	Westfield	6.8	9.6	28.1
102	Wilbraham	6.3	14.9	28.6
103	Easthampton	5.9	9.8	29.0
104	Walpole	7.3	10.2	29.0
105	Canton	4.7	6.6	29.2
106	Burlington	4.5	15.5	29.4
107	Danvers	9.9	12.9	30.2
108	Foxborough	10.2	9.0	30.2
109	Raynham	4.8	14.7	30.4
110	Somerset	10.6	7.2	30.4
111	Stoughton	9.3	9.9	30.5
112	Dudley	10.1	4.4	30.5
113	Mansfield	8.2	7.0	30.6
114	Auburn	5.0	18.2	31.6
115	Oxford	6.9	11.6	32.1
116	Mashpee	7.2	9.4	32.1
117	Ludlow	8.1	9.3	33.1
118	Saugus	6.6	12.7	33.2
119	Tewksbury	8.7	11.0	35.5
120	Nantucket	9.5	13.5	35.5
121	Randolph	11.2	11.9	35.8
122	Dartmouth	9.4	14.7	35.9
123	Attleboro	9.1	11.6	36.8
124	Leicester	5.8	20.4	37.0
125	Holbrook	9.6	11.7	37.9
126	Bourne	11.9	10.8	39.0
127	Agawam	11.6	13.1	40.7
128	Winchendon	12.0	9.2	41.5
129	Athol	10.4	8.6	42.0
130	Hull	11.0	7.8	42.9
131	Palmer	14.7	9.4	45.1
132	Barnstable	13.1	9.7	45.1
133	Yarmouth	11.4	9.9	45.4
134	Fairhaven	14.2	13.4	46.3
135	Marlborough	12.5	13.4	46.3
136	Falmouth	15.4	11.6	47.1
137	Gardner	13.0	15.0	47.5
138	Salem	18.1	16.7	48.6
139	Middleboro	13.3	7.5	48.9
140	Everett	9.7	13.2	50.7
141	Northampton	14.0	15.6	53.9
142	Fitchburg	14.1	13.2	56.7
143	Southbridge	14.8	14.1	57.4
144	Greenfield	11.5	19.6	57.6
145	Dennis	15.7	14.1	66.7
146	Leominster	20.7	14.4	66.8
147	Wareham	15.6	14.3	69.7
148	Webster	20.2	12.3	72.3
149	West Springfield	12.4	33.8	72.8
150	Chelsea	22.5	14.7	73.2
151	Pittsfield	19.9	18.8	77.9
152	North Adams	17.2	31.3	80.6
153	Holyoke	28.4	37.2	112.5

Safest Small Cities in Massachusetts

The safest small city in Massachusetts was Boxford. Located north of Boston, Boxford is a rural town with minimal commercial development. Founded in 1685, Boxford has many recreational opportunities for its residents, including hiking trails, lakes, and ponds.

The table below lists the safest small cities in the state of Massachusetts. The cities listed below have under 10,000 residents. Additionally, each city’s crime score, rank, and levels of violent and property crime per 1,000 residents are also listed. The average crime score for small cities was 23, and scores ranged from 4 to 220 in the state.

Rank	City	Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Property Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Crime Score
1	Boxford	0.5	3.1	3.6
2	Ashby	0.0	3.7	3.7
3	Wenham	2.3	1.8	4.1
4	Groveland	1.3	1.4	4.9
5	Hamilton	0.9	3.5	5.1
6	Dover	2.0	2.5	5.5
7	Hampden	1.7	4.2	6.9
8	Merrimac	3.1	2.3	7.0
9	Stow	2.9	1.7	7.3
10	Oakham	4.4	3.5	7.9
11	Lincoln	1.8	2.6	8.2
12	Mendon	3.2	2.6	8.3
13	Georgetown	3.4	3.8	8.3
14	Princeton	2.4	4.5	8.7
15	Boxborough	1.8	4.0	8.9
16	Pelham	2.3	6.8	9.1
17	Manchester-By-The-Sea	1.8	5.3	9.3
18	Northfield	4.9	4.5	9.4
19	Sterling	2.5	2.3	9.5
20	Topsfield	2.5	1.8	9.6
21	Cheshire	3.8	1.0	9.6
22	Carlisle	1.8	5.6	9.6
23	Bolton	3.3	4.6	9.8
24	Lancaster	1.6	5.3	10.0
25	Gill	0.0	10.1	10.1
26	Cohasset	2.7	6.2	10.6
27	Dunstable	3.5	2.2	10.6
28	Plainville	2.0	5.2	10.9
29	Boylston	2.9	0.7	11.0
30	Harvard	1.5	4.3	12.0
31	Rowley	2.7	4.1	12.1
32	Douglas	4.1	2.7	12.2
33	Berkley	2.9	2.8	12.8
34	Upton	4.0	3.9	13.2
35	Dalton	4.9	3.4	13.4
36	Rockport	4.8	2.4	13.6
37	Townsend	4.7	3.4	14.1
38	Granby	3.9	3.3	14.9
39	Newbury	3.9	2.8	15.1
40	Blackstone	5.9	2.3	15.6
41	Halifax	3.7	6.5	15.7
42	Wellfleet	4.9	11.1	16.0
43	Ashburnham	4.1	4.4	16.1
44	Paxton	3.3	2.6	16.5
45	Marion	6.0	6.2	17.0
46	West Boylston	3.6	6.2	17.1
47	Williamstown	2.7	8.9	17.3
48	Southwick	4.4	6.7	17.4
49	Sutton	4.9	5.5	17.6
50	Templeton	6.0	2.7	17.8
51	Erving	8.6	9.2	17.9
52	Southampton	4.2	5.9	17.9
53	Holland	3.8	4.8	18.3
54	Orleans	4.5	8.7	18.3
55	Williamsburg	2.9	8.7	18.3
56	Great Barrington	5.4	4.1	18.8
57	Hatfield	2.6	12.8	19.0
58	Sunderland	6.0	5.7	19.4
59	Eastham	5.0	7.9	19.7
60	Deerfield	4.8	8.5	19.9
61	Berlin	1.9	9.6	20.1
62	West Bridgewater	3.7	9.8	20.3
63	Hopedale	6.3	2.4	20.4
64	Mattapoisett	5.2	6.3	21.5
65	Whately	3.4	14.3	21.8
66	Plympton	10.7	5.0	22.5
67	Goshen	0.0	22.5	22.5
68	Westminster	4.6	5.4	23.2
69	Shirley	5.1	5.5	23.6
70	Chatham	6.4	9.6	23.9
71	East Brookfield	9.3	3.8	24.0
72	Millville	3.3	5.7	24.2
73	Freetown	8.8	5.4	24.4
74	Stockbridge	4.2	16.9	24.6
75	Brookfield	6.1	7.6	24.7
76	West Tisbury	4.1	6.4	25.1
77	Brewster	7.0	3.9	25.4
78	Barre	7.4	3.2	25.7
79	Ayer	10.0	7.0	26.0
80	Lenox	4.4	14.3	27.5
81	Nahant	5.0	3.7	28.6
82	Lee	7.0	11.4	29.4
83	Salisbury	10.8	7.7	29.5
84	Wales	6.3	6.3	30.4
85	Rochester	5.3	6.4	30.9
86	Bernardston	6.7	6.2	32.0
87	Truro	11.5	3.0	32.1
88	Monson	10.8	4.9	32.8
89	Sturbridge	10.9	11.8	32.8
90	Becket	13.9	4.0	32.8
91	Rutland	7.7	2.5	34.3
92	Orange	7.3	12.2	35.5
93	New Braintree	6.7	6.7	38.5
94	Adams	10.0	11.7	42.9
95	Avon	6.4	24.6	43.1
96	Hardwick	12.9	5.4	46.3
97	Ware	14.7	8.5	48.6
98	Edgartown	10.8	13.8	50.2
99	Montague	10.4	10.1	51.9
100	Chilmark	8.7	13.0	54.3
101	Oak Bluffs	12.2	13.7	54.5
102	Tisbury	14.1	7.5	61.0
103	Provincetown	23.8	17.4	71.1
104	Hadley	11.4	31.7	72.6
105	Aquinnah	36.6	0.0	219.5

Methodology

This study used a dataset published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that compiles reported crime statistics from cities and law enforcement agencies around the country. Jurisdictions report crimes on Return A, which are compiled together into the Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics dataset. This data reports violent and property crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft. This study was based on the most recent release of the data, which reports crimes from calendar year 2019.

To find the safest cities in Massachusetts, we counted the number of reported crimes for each city in the dataset. We applied a multiplier to more severe crimes such as murder, and weighted each crime to calculate a composite crime value for each city. We normalized the crime values by population in order to calculate a crime score for each city.

Finally, we divided Massachusetts cities into three categories based upon population size. Cities with under 10,000 residents were considered small cities. Cities with between 10,000 and 50,000 residents were considered midsize cities, and cities with over 50,000 residents were considered large cities. We ranked the cities within their population cohorts to find the safest small, midsize, and large cities in Massachusetts.

Sources

1. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A, 2019