Massachusetts’s Safest Cities of 2024

See crime rates for the safest cities.

Massachusetts saw increases across the board for per capita property crime and violent crime. But The Bay State still boasts some of the lowest crime rates in the nation.

Despite rising crime rates, we found that Bay Staters are less concerned about their safety than the nation's average, which correlates to lower reports of experience with crime from State of Safety Survey participants.

Massachusetts' crime rates rose year over year—the first increase we've seen in the state since at least 2020. Despite this year's bump, Massachusetts consistently sees lower violent crime and property crime rates compared to the rest of the country.

Massachusetts’ violent crime rate this reporting year is 3.7 per 1,000 people (US 4.0), which is the nineteenth lowest in the US. The property crime rate is 11.3 incidents per 1,000 people (US 19.3)—the third lowest in the nation.

Massachusetts residents currently enjoy the third-lowest property crime rate out of all the states in our report. However, the property crime rate saw a 9% increase from last year. It came in at 11.3 property crimes per 1,000 residents as opposed to 10.4 the year before.

• Concern about property crime rose 17% year over year, with nearly 1 in 2 (48%) survey respondents voicing high concern.
• Those surveyed who said they had a personal experience with property crime in the 12 months prior to the survey dropped from 17% in last year's report to 11% this year.
• 28% of survey respondents said they increased security measures in the 12 months prior to the survey (US 35%).
• Fewer Bay Staters use security measures to protect their property (64%) than the national average (75%).
• Of those who use security measures, security cameras are used most often (33%), followed by security systems (30%) and guard dogs (24%).
• 35% of respondents said they had a package theft in the 12 months prior to the survey, and even though 78% don't do anything to protect their packages, those that do rely on asking delivery people to leave packages in a safer location.

Bay Staters had fewer personal experiences with violent crime in the last year, according to our State of Safety Survey. Violent crime in the state rose from 3.0 incidents per 1,000 people to 3.7 per 1,000 people. That's a 23% increase year over year, but still 6% lower than the national rate of 4.0

• Concern about violent crime rose 4% year over year, while reported experiences with it fell 10%.
• The number of people who feel safe in Massachusetts dropped from 59% to 51% in our most recent survey.
• Massachusetts is ranked as No. 19 in states with the lowest violent crime rates. 
• 2 in 10 Bay Staters regularly carry some form of personal protection—below the national average of 36%.
• Pocket knives are the most common form of personal protection used (35%) among survey participants, with pepper spray coming in second (30%).

Overall, gun safety is a big concern for The Bay State, with worries about gun violence up 31% over the year before.

• 51% of those we surveyed named gun violence as a safety concern, matching the national average. It's the most concerning crime and safety issue for Bay Staters.
• 7% reported that gun violence had happened to them. That's the same percentage reported the year before. (US 12%).
• 20% of those who use personal protection said they carry a concealed firearm (US 41%).
• Only 9% of respondents told us they rely on a firearm to protect their Massachusetts home (US 28%).
• There were 7 mass shooting events in Massachusetts in 2023, an increase from 3 each the previous two years.

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• Northborough rose 3 places to nab the top spot, reporting a total of 7 crimes in the reporting year.
• Ipswich jumped 41 spots to land at No. 5 this year.
• Holliston and Lexington also made impressive moves up the list this year, climbing 28 and 22 spots, respectively.
• All of the safest cities reported fewer than 1.5 violent crimes per 1,000 people. None of the safest cities reported a murder.
• All of the safest cities reported fewer than 5 property crimes per 1,000 people.
• Northborough and Wayland each reported zero burglaries.
• Clinton, Scituate, and Medway each reported zero car thefts. 
• All of the safest cities reported less than one violent crime per 1,000 people.

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Find all endnotes and sources in our full methodology.

FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed March 18, 2024.

• 2022 and 2021 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
  • Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
• 2022 NIBRS Estimation Tables

Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed March 18, 2024.

Gun Violence Archive, "Mass Shootings." Accessed March 18, 2023.