Massachusetts's 20 Safest Cities of 2019

SafeWise is happy to release our fifth annual Safest Cities report. Here are the 20 Safest Cities in Massachusetts for 2019. See if your city made the list.

Massachusetts keeps crime low—beating national rates for both property and violent crime. In fact, Massachusetts’s property crime rate of 13.98 per 1,000 people is one of the lowest we’ve seen (and it’s half the national rate of 27.11). But the safest cities do even better—90% reported 10 or fewer property crimes per 1,000.

The Bay State does a good job of limiting violent crime as well. The state comes in at 3.53 violent crimes per 1,000 people, and the national rate is 4.49. With numbers like that, it’s no surprise to find that Massachusetts residents have less experience with violent crime. According to our State of Safety study, 9% of Massachusetts respondents personally experienced violent crime in the past year, which is 10% below the national average of 10%.

Find out more about crime in Massachusetts, and see if your city made the cut in our full list below.

Interesting Findings

70% of the cities made our list for the second consecutive year.
95% had 12 or fewer total violent crimes reported, and 85% had 10 or fewer.
There was only one murder reported by the safest cities.
All cities reported fewer than one violent crime per 1,000.
Overall, Massachusetts is pretty close to national trends and averages for safety concerns—most responses are within four percentage points of the national averages reported on the State of Safety report.

The 20 Safest Cities in Massachusetts

Population 17,348

Median Income $151,357

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.00

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 3.40

Population 19,654

Median Income $102,869

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.05

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.92

Population 36,974

Median Income $100,640

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.08

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 3.46

Population 15,109

Median Income $111,875

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.20

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 10.26

Population 33,397

Median Income $111,935

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.27

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 2.22

Population 31,054

Median Income $141,690

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.29

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 6.25

Population 26,033

Median Income $114,354

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.31

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 6.03

Population 14,597

Median Income $111,311

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.34

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 6.99

Population 19,963

Median Income $83,765

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.35

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 7.51

Population 24,639

Median Income $138,006

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.37

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 3.08

Population 15,848

Median Income $112,831

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.38

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 9.28

Population 23,059

Median Income $152,196

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.39

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 5.16

Population 25,358

Median Income $89,514

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.39

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 16.84

Population 29,434

Median Income $176,852

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.41

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 4.45

Population 26,432

Median Income $118,370

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.45

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 7.94

Population 19,074

Median Income $107,604

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.52

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 7.92

Population 19,062

Median Income $101,827

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.52

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 2.73

Population 14,736

Median Income $118,933

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.54

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 2.04

Population 89,736

Median Income $133,853

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.55

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 6.42

Population 27,420

Median Income $126,000

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.55

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 7.84

How We Determined the Safest Cities

Learn how we identified the safest cities on our methodology page.

Beyond Safest Cities: What Are the Biggest Safety Concerns in Your State?

Crime statistics are one thing, but do they line up with what people are really worried about when it comes to safety? To find out, SafeWise conducted a nationwide survey. See what the biggest safety concern is in your state—and learn more about what your neighbors are nervous about—in our State of Safety report.

If you would like to contact a SafeWise Safest Cities Analyst, please email info@safewise.com.

Didn’t Find Your City in the Top 20?

See how the remaining cities ranked in the list below.

Rank	City	Population	Violent Crime (per 1,000)	Property Crime (per 1,000)
21	Hingham	23,392	0.56	10.00
22	Duxbury	16,085	0.56	6.34
23	Sudbury	19,120	0.58	3.77
24	Bedford	14,607	0.62	4.04
25	Pembroke	18,454	0.65	5.69
26	Concord	20,193	0.69	5.1
27	Brookline	59,233	0.76	11.23
28	Sharon	18,419	0.81	2.44
29	Melrose	28,101	0.82	7.69
30	Arlington	45,449	0.84	5.65
31	North Andover	31,035	0.87	5.28
32	Wilbraham	14,749	0.88	12.14
33	Watertown	35,586	0.9	9.58
34	North Attleboro	29,158	0.93	16.29
35	Billerica	43,127	0.93	5.66
36	Swampscott	15,016	0.93	12.05
37	Acton	23,937	0.96	7.1
38	Ashland	17,878	1.01	5.15
39	Natick	36,705	1.06	12.4
40	Beverly	41,678	1.15	5.64
41	Westwood	16,347	1.16	10.09
42	East Bridgewater	14,573	1.17	9.13
43	Grafton	18,763	1.17	3.2
44	Marshfield	25,929	1.2	3.28
45	Stoneham	22,077	1.22	9.01
46	Wilmington	23,791	1.26	7.36
47	Chelmsford	35,392	1.27	13.84
48	Braintree	37,579	1.28	17.7
49	Dracut	31,685	1.29	10.1
50	Swansea	16,597	1.33	15.61
51	Newburyport	18,092	1.44	12.1
52	Norwood	29,194	1.44	10.04
53	Westport	15,919	1.44	9.23
54	East Longmeadow	16,288	1.47	17.13
55	South Hadley	17,804	1.52	14.1
56	North Reading	15,780	1.52	4.12
57	Medford	57,418	1.53	11.55
58	Waltham	63,413	1.55	9.6
59	Seekonk	15,521	1.55	17.01
60	Woburn	39,677	1.59	10.91
61	Bellingham	17,121	1.64	15.36
62	Mansfield	23,847	1.64	10.44
63	Easton	24,176	1.65	6.62
64	Belchertown	15,097	1.66	6.03
65	Whitman	15,000	1.67	6.4
66	Sandwich	20,362	1.67	7.61
67	Wakefield	27,049	1.7	7.21
68	Danvers	28,168	1.7	17.68
69	Marblehead	20,618	1.75	7.52
70	Methuen	50,396	1.87	13.29
71	Somerset	18,239	1.92	9.27
72	Winthrop	18,319	1.97	6.06
73	Burlington	26,678	1.99	18.18
74	Andover	35,898	2.01	7.99
75	Milford	28,772	2.02	10.7
76	Abington	16,369	2.02	9.65
77	Bourne	19,867	2.06	13.19
78	Dartmouth	34,802	2.1	20.31
79	Agawam	28,839	2.29	18
80	Somerville	82,326	2.32	13.01
81	Walpole	25,312	2.33	9.84
82	Northbridge	16,711	2.33	12.09
83	Ludlow	21,529	2.42	9.89
84	Fairhaven	16,188	2.47	20.88
85	Auburn	16,563	2.48	20.95
86	Amherst	40,313	2.48	6.52
87	Westfield	41,735	2.52	13.39
88	Plymouth	59,803	2.52	9.88
89	Foxborough	17,636	2.55	10.89
90	Easthampton	16,061	2.55	10.58
91	Saugus	28,241	2.58	16.93
92	Weymouth	56,382	2.61	10.23
93	Salem	43,385	2.67	21.92
94	Attleboro	44,607	2.69	13.29
95	Tewksbury	31,245	2.72	10.59
96	Gloucester	29,980	2.74	6.9
97	Cambridge	111,707	2.8	18.18
98	Bridgewater	27,769	2.81	5.58
99	Amesbury	17,636	2.84	6.8
100	Lowell	111,294	2.89	19.75
101	Peabody	52,721	2.9	11.84
102	Framingham	72,153	3.26	10.37
103	Everett	47,185	3.33	14.03
104	Malden	61,098	3.39	12.77
105	Middleboro	25,084	3.51	9.69
106	Randolph	33,837	3.58	14.27
107	Stoughton	28,678	3.63	13.56
108	Marlborough	39,919	3.81	15.28
109	Canton	23,551	3.82	6.33
110	Taunton	57,047	3.86	8.62
111	Falmouth	31,487	3.91	14.86
112	Quincy	93,966	4.08	16.64
113	Barnstable	44,142	4.46	12.39
114	Revere	53,425	4.64	18.91
115	Gardner	20,491	4.83	16.4
116	Chicopee	56,255	5.14	24.55
117	Southbridge	16,860	5.22	16.79
118	Leominster	41,846	5.59	22.46
119	Wareham	22,743	5.67	18.69
120	Northampton	28,458	5.8	19.5
121	West Springfield	28,635	6.08	38.59
122	Haverhill	63,244	6.18	14.5
123	Greenfield	17,462	6.3	19.07
124	New Bedford	95,107	6.66	28.57
125	Boston	682,903	6.69	20.89
126	Yarmouth	23,370	6.8	15.92
127	Lynn	93,140	7.15	17.51
128	Lawrence	80,890	7.23	17.2
129	Worcester	185,107	7.27	21.86
130	Webster	16,883	7.29	14.93
131	Fitchburg	40,445	7.39	18.32
132	Chelsea	40,514	7.78	16.34
133	Springfield	154,562	8.74	29.72
134	Pittsfield	42,546	8.81	25.67
135	Brockton	96,016	9.55	20.42
136	Fall River	89,012	9.89	17.57
137	Holyoke	40,451	10.83	48.11

How to Make a Safe Home Anywhere

Wherever you live, feeling safe in your home can bring greater peace of mind and happiness. Whether your city made our list or not, we recommend adding extra security to your home with monitored security services provided by the nation’s leading home security providers.

To find out about home security options available to you, check out SafeWise’s picks for Best Home Security Systems of 2019.

Find the Safest Cities in Each State

Click on the state image below to check out our “Safest City” winners for each state.

Sources:

FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, “2017 Crime in the United States”
SafeWise’s, “2019 State of Safety”
US Census Bureau, “2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates“

Written by Rebecca Edwards

Rebecca has honed her safety and security skills as both a single mom and a college director. Being responsible for the well-being of others helped her learn how to minimize risk and create safe environments. Learn more

Massachusetts’s 20 Safest Cities of 2019