Massachusetts’s 20 Safest Cities of 2023

The SafeWise Team is pleased to release the ninth annual Safest Cities report.

See if your city made the full list.

Our 2023 State of Safety survey found that Massachusetts ranks the lowest in property crime out of all the states on our report. We also found that Bay Staters are more concerned about their safety than the nation's average, which is surprising since violent crime in the state is also low.

Massachusetts' crime rates continued to drop year over year. Massachusetts also consistently sees lower violent crime and property crime rates compared to the rest of the country.

Massachusetts’ violent crime rate this reporting year is 3.0 per 1,000 people (US 4.0), with a property crime rate of 10.4 (US 19.3).

Bay Staters had fewer personal experiences with violent crime in the last year. Violent crime dropped from 3.1 per 1,000 people to 3.0 per 1,000 people. That's 24% less than the national rate.

• Overall, there were 200 violent crimes reported from our list of safest cities.
• Aggravated assault was the most common violent crime, with the safest cities reporting a total of 159.
• Massachusetts is ranked as #15 in states with the lowest violent crime rates. 
• Not a single murder was reported among the top 12 safest cities.
• 3% of survey participants use no form of personal protection—below the national average of 4%.
• Pepper spray is the most common form of personal protection, with 58% of respondents saying it was their weapon of choice.

Overall, gun safety is a big concern for The Bay State, with worries about gun violence up 22% over the year before.

• 39% of those we surveyed named gun violence as a safety concern (US 47%).
• 7% reported that gun violence had happened to them. That's up 250% from the year before. (US 12%).
• 19% said they carry a concealed firearm for protection.

Massachusetts residents currently enjoy the lowest property crime rate out of all the states in our report. The property crime rate dropped from last year. It came in at 10.4 property crimes per 1,000 residents as opposed to 10.5 the year before.

• Property crime rates have steadily dropped in the last three years from 11.8 per 1,000 to 10.5 to 2.5.
• 26% of survey respondents use guard dogs for property protection—lower than most Americans (34%).
• All safest cities reported fewer than 5 property crimes per 1,000 residents.
• The top form of property protection among Massachusetts residents this year is a home security system with 32% of residents using them.
• 34% of respondents don't use any form of property protection.

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.

• Wayland, the number one pick, reported no violent crimes and no property crimes in the reporting year.
• Last year, none of the safest cities reported murders. This year, 3 cities reported murders (Franklin, Charlton, and Milton) with one murder each.
• Northborough jumped 21 spots to land at #4 this year.
• Sharon dropped 11 spots to land at #18.
• All of the safest cities reported less than five property crimes per 1,000 people.
• All of the safest cities reported less than one violent crime per 1,000 people.

We calculated crime rates for every city in the state that met our population threshold, based on the state’s median population as calculated using FBI data. To request a report of the remaining cities in your state email info@safewise.com with the subject line: Safest Cities Full Report.

NOTE: If your city is missing from our full report, it means that it was below the population threshold or didn’t submit a complete crime report to the FBI in 2021.

• Best Home Security Systems
• Best Home Security Cameras
• Best Video Doorbell Cameras
• Burglary Stats & Facts
• The Most Burglarized City in Every State
• The Best Personal Safety Devices for Every Situation
• The State of Safety in America in 2022

FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed February 6, 2023.

• 2021 and 2020 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
  • Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
• 2021 NIBRS Estimation Tables

FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, "Offenses Known to Law Enforcement [2019]." Accessed February 6, 2023.

Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed February 6, 2023.

US Census Bureau, "2021: ACS 5-Year Estimates Subject Tables." Accessed February 6, 2023.

US Census Bureau, "2021: ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables." Accessed February 6, 2023.

SafeWise, "2022 State of Safety survey." Accessed February 6, 2023.

Gun Violence Archive, "General Methodology." Accessed February 6, 2023.

Gun Violence Archive, "Past Summary Ledgers." Accessed January 3, 2023.

Gun Violence Archive, "Congress."

• 2022 totals: Accessed January 3, 2023.
• 2021 and 2020 totals: Accessed December 19, 2022.