Boston, MA Crime Statistics For 2023

Demographics | Crime | Cost Of Living
Updated: 2023-10-25

Crime Rate In Boston, MA Summary

Crime in Boston research summary. HomeSnacks has been using Saturday Night Science to report crime data in Boston over the past eight years using the FBI crime explorer. Based on the most recently available data released October 17, 2023, we found the following about crime in Boston:

  • There were 15,469 total crimes committed in Boston the last reporting year.
  • On a rate basis, there were 2,421.1 total crimes per 100K people in Boston.
  • The overall crime rate in Boston is 4.17% above the national average.
  • Boston ranks #305 safest out of 312 cities in Massachusetts.
  • Boston ranks #7,346 safest out of 9,869 cities in the United States.

Because the crime rate is so low in America, we use "per 100,000 people" to make the number a bit easier to compare across locations visually. It's mathematically the same as doing per capita comparisons and isn't conveying that there are 100,000+ people in a location.

Additional research about crime in Massachusetts

Boston Vs Massachusetts And National Crime Rates

According to the most recent data from the FBI, the total crime rate in Boston is 2,421.1 per 100,000 people. That's 4.17% higher than the national rate of 2,324.2 per 100,000 people and 77.76% higher than the Massachusetts total crime rate of 1,362.0 per 100,000 people.

Statistic Count
Raw
Boston
/ 100k People
Massachusetts
/ 100k People
National
/ 100k People
Total Crimes Per 100K 15,469 2,421.1 1,362.0 2,324.2
Murder 44 6.9 2.3 6.3
Robbery 770 120.5 43.7 66.1
Aggravated Assault 2,965 464.1 235.9 268.2
Violent Crime 3,955 619.0 308.8 369.8
Burglary 1,213 189.9 149.7 269.8
Larceny 9,116 1,426.8 804.3 1,401.9
Car Theft 1,185 185.5 99.2 282.7
Property Crime 11,514 1,802.1 1,053.2 1,954.4

Boston Crime Compared To Massachusetts Averages

Each category of crime indexed to the worst per capita in Massachusetts.
Data Source -- FBI UCR 2022.

Violent Crime Rates In Boston

3,955
Violent Crimes
619.0
Violent Crimes / 100k People
67.39%
Above The National Average
  • There were 3,955 violent crimes in Boston in the last reporting year.
  • The violent crime rate in Boston is 619.0 per 100,000 people.
  • You have a 1 in 161.5 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in Boston each year. That compares to a 1 in 323.8 chance statewide.
  • That's 67.39% higher than the national rate of 369.8 per 100,000 people.
  • 100.45% higher than the Massachusetts violent crime rate of 308.8 per 100,000 people.

Property Crime Rates In Boston

11,514
Property Crimes
1,802.1
Property Crimes / 100k People
-7.79%
Below The National Average
  • There were 11,514 property crimes in Boston in the last reporting year.
  • The property crime rate in Boston is 1,802.1 per 100,000 people.
  • You have a 1 in 55.5 chance of being the victim of a property crime in Boston each year. That compares to a 1 in 0.0 chance nationally.
  • That's -7.79% lower than the national rate of 1,954.4 per 100,000 people.
  • And 71.11% higher than the Massachusetts property crime rate of 1,053.2 per 100,000 people.

Crime In Cities Around Boston

City Population Count
Raw
Total Crime
/ 100k People
Property Crime
/ 100k People
Violent Crime
/ 100k People
Cambridge, MA 117,044 3,097 2,646.0 2,240.2 405.8
Quincy, MA 101,434 1,509 1,487.7 1,090.4 397.3
Newton, MA 86,710 624 719.6 655.1 64.6
Somerville, MA 79,178 1,295 1,635.6 1,383.0 252.6
Malden, MA 64,356 953 1,480.8 1,247.7 233.1
Brookline, MA 62,825 629 1,001.2 896.1 105.1
Revere, MA 56,961 889 1,560.7 1,221.9 338.8
Everett, MA 48,340 823 1,702.5 1,352.9 349.6
Chelsea, MA 37,590 980 2,607.1 1,803.7 803.4
Lexington, MA 33,889 112 330.5 286.2 44.3

Boston SnackAbility

8
/10
Overall SnackAbility
Jobs
7/10
Housing
9.5
Affordability
3
Diversity
10
Safety
5
Amenities
10
Education
8
Commute
5
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