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Massachusetts’s 20 Safest Cities of 2021

By John Carlsen

Researcher & Writer

Published on March 15, 2021

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

Here are the 10 safest cities in Massachusetts for 2021

1. Franklin
2. Hopkinton
3. Shrewsbury
4. Milton
5. Westford
6. Lexington
7. Sharon
8. Bedford
9. Wellesley
10. Reading

See if your city made the full list.

In our 2021 State of Safety survey, Massachusetts residents were equally as likely to have a high level of daily concern for their safety as most Americans (47%). This is a big jump over last year, when just 39% of Bay Staters had a high level of concern.

This is interesting because Massachusetts residents had fewer experiences with violent crime and gun violence compared to 2020. Still, all 20 of the safest cities in Massachusetts had lower crime rates than the state, region, and country at large.

Nearly 7 in 10 residents feel safe living in Massachusetts, but the state's violent crime rate is the highest in New England.

2021 Massachusetts crime rates

Even with higher overall levels of concern, Massachusetts's crime rates continued to drop year over year. There was a slight decline in violent crime from 3.4 per 1,000 people to 3.3 while property crime dropped from 12.6 per 1,000 to 11.8.

In the New England region, Massachusetts had the highest violent crime rate at 3.3 compared to the next lowest, Rhode Island, which stands at 2.2. But it jumps to the opposite end of spectrum with the lowest property crime rate, just ahead of New Hampshire.

This year, Massachusetts continued to have lower violent crime and property crime rates compared to the rest of the country. Among all 50 states, Massachusetts had the lowest overall property crime rate of any state and ranked twenty-fourth-lowest in terms of violent crime rate.

Level of concern and experience with crime in Massachusetts

Even with an eight-point increase in daily concern in the past 12 months, Massachusetts residents didn't exceed the national average of 47%. While Massachusettsans reported a significant drop in experiences with violent crime and gun violence, the relative number of experiences with property crime stayed the same at 11%.

Massachusetts crime concerns 2021 infographic

Crime concerns in Massachusetts

We asked Massachusetts residents which crimes they worry may happen to them. See if Massachusetts residents are concerned about the same crime issues as the rest of the country.

Levels of crime concern Massachusetts 2021 infographic

View the complete 2021 State of Safety report.

Violent crime in Massachusetts: Fear vs. reality

Massachusetts has a lower overall violent crime rate than most of the US, but it's more or less in the middle of the pack. Still, most residents report feeling safe in The Bay State and had fewer personal experiences with violent crime and gun violence in the last year.

65% of Massachusettsans report feeling safe in their state compared to 55% of Americans.
Just 5% of survey respondents reported having personal experience with violent crime in the last year—3% lower than the previous year.
Murder accounted for just 0.7% of violent crimes in The Bay State (US 1%) with only a single murder reported among the 20 safest cities overall.
Rape makes up 9.8% of Massachusetts's violent crimes but clocks in at 14.9% in the safest cities.
19% of survey participants use some form of personal protection like pepper spray—well below the national average of 34%.
46% of Massachusetts residents say their personal safety has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic compared to 44% of Americans.

Attitudes about police and gun violence in Massachusetts

6 in 10 participants named gun violence as a top safety concern, which is higher than the US average of 53%.
Only 1% of Massachusetts residents reported an experience with gun violence in the last 12 months, which is 3% lower than last year.
There were 5 mass shootings in Massachusetts in 2019 and 8 in 2020.
Bay Staters (45%) are slightly more likely than average Americans (40%) to worry about police violence on a daily basis.
Participants reported average levels of confidence in law enforcement, matching the 56% national average.
There were 22 officer-involved shootings in 2020, an increase from 18 in 2019.

Massachusetts violent crime rates 3 year trend infographic

Property crime in Massachusetts: Fear vs. reality

Massachusettsans currently enjoy the lowest property crime rate in the United States. The property crime rate saw a modest decrease, and residents reported a year-over-year drop in personal experience with property (from 13% to 11%).

Massachusetts overtook New Hampshire this year as the state with the lowest property crime rate in the United States (11.8 per 1,000 people).
Massachusetts is the only state with a property crime rate under 12 per 1,000 people.
Burglaries account for 15% of all property crimes in the state (the 20 safest cities average 13%), similar to the national rate of 16%.
21% of participants reported experiencing package theft in the last 12 months, putting Massachusetts just above the US average of 20%.
42% of survey respondents use some form of property protection—lower than most Americans (62%).
The top form of property protection among Massachusetts residents this year is a home security system with 24% using them (25% US).
27% of Bay Staters say the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the security of their property, compared to 29% nationally.

Massachusetts property crime rates 3 year trend infographic

A closer look at the safest cities in Massachusetts

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.

Franklin & Hopkinton traded spots to make Franklin number 1—keeping Hopkinton from a third consecutive year in the top spot.
Most of the top 20 cities changed ranks this year, but Norton saw the biggest drop among repeat cities from last year—down 7 ranks.
There are 4 new cities in the top 20 this year—Grafton, Duxbury, Sudbury, and Northborough.
While Massachusetts has the highest violent crime rate in its region (3.3), its safest cities average just 0.5.
Hopkinton was the only city with 0 reported violent crimes.
Every city reported fewer than 25 violent crime incidents each, with 50% reporting in single-digits.
As with last year, Norton had the fewest total number of property crime reports (13) and the lowest property crime rate (0.7).
75% of cities reported fewer than 100 total property crimes.

Safest Cities in Massachusetts map image

The 20 Safest Cities in Massachusetts

Franklin

(

)

Population

33,149
Median Income

$101,980
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.1, 0.2, 0.3
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

1.2, 2.6, 2.2

Hopkinton

(

-1

)

Population

18,585
Median Income

$95,735
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.0, 0.1, 0.0
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

1.6, 1.6, 3.4

Shrewsbury

(

-0-

)

Population

37,983
Median Income

$97,365
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.1, 0.1, 0.1
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

3.3, 3.0, 3.5

Milton

(

-0-

)

Population

27,471
Median Income

$127,448
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.4, 0.4, 0.5
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

2.2, 2.2, 7.8

Westford

(

)

Population

24,403
Median Income

$125,143
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.4, 0.5, 0.4
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

2.2, 2.6, 3.1

Lexington

(

-0-

)

Population

33,824
Median Income

$172,750
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.5, 0.2, N/A
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

2.3, 3.3, N/A

Sharon

(

)

Population

18,973
Median Income

$132,424
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.5, 0.7, 0.8
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

2.5, 2.8, 2.4

Bedford

(

)

Population

14,193
Median Income

$114,676
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.5, 0.5, 0.6
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

2.8, 4.1, 4.0

Wellesley

(

)

Population

29,651
Median Income

$188,908
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.2, 0.4, 0.4
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

4.0, 4.2, 4.5

#10

Reading

(

)

Population

25,305
Median Income

$112,634
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.1, 0.2, 0.3
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

4.6, 5.5, 6.0

#11

Winchester

(

)

Population

22,850
Median Income

$159,536
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.3, 0.3, 0.4
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

3.9, 4.9, 5.2

#12

Norton

(

-7

)

Population

19,894
Median Income

$80,806
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

1.2, 0.7, 0.1
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.7, 1.2, 0.9

#13

Needham

(

)

Population

31,275
Median Income

$153,032
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.3, 0.5, 0.3
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

4.3, 4.6, 6.2

#14

Grafton

(

+11

)

Population

18,880
Median Income

$81,250
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.8, 1.1, 1.2
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

2.4, 3.2, 3.2

#15

Duxbury

(

)

Population

15,934
Median Income

$160,893
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.6, 0.4, 0.6
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

3.6, 5.7, 6.3

#16

Billerica

(

)

Population

43,882
Median Income

$93,761
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.5, 0.8, 0.9
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

3.9, 3.8, 5.7

#17

Holliston

(

-6

)

Population

14,996
Median Income

$108,350
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.9, 0.8, 0.5
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

2.7, 2.7, 2.0

#18

Scituate

(

-3

)

Population

18,774
Median Income

$121,382
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.7, 0.8, N/A
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

3.3, 3.4, N/A

#19

Sudbury

(

)

Population

19,727
Median Income

$169,505
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.8, 1.1, 0.6
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

3.4, 3.3, 3.8

#20

Northborough

(

)

Population

15,075
Median Income

$105,909
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.2, 0.0, 0.2
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

5.8, 7.3, 10.3

How we determined the safest cities

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

How to make a safe home anywhere

Whether your city made our list or not, we encourage everyone to be proactive about home security. Learn more about your home security options—and find out which companies we recommend for every budget and lifestyle in our roundup of the Best Home Security Systems.

Didn't find your city in the top 20?

We calculated crime rates for every city in the state that met our population threshold, based on the state’s median population. See how the remaining cities ranked in the list below.

NOTE: If you don’t see your city on the list, it means that it was below the population threshold or didn’t submit a complete crime report to the FBI in 2019.

2021 Rank	City	Population	VC per 1,000	PC per 1,000
21	Arlington	45,614	0.7	3.7
22	Andover	36,547	0.2	5.9
23	Pembroke	18,378	0.7	4.4
24	North Andover	31,428	0.5	5.2
25	Belmont	26,331	0.2	6.8
26	Marshfield	25,794	1.2	2.8
27	Belchertown	15,195	1.1	3.6
28	North Reading	15,687	1.0	3.8
29	Newton	88,658	0.6	5.8
30	Concord	19,253	0.9	4.6
31	Acton	23,780	1.3	2.8
32	Dracut	31,786	0.9	4.4
33	Ipswich	14,095	1.3	3.3
34	Ashland	17,742	1.2	4.3
35	Hanover	14,485	0.2	8.4
36	Beverly	42,317	1.1	4.9
37	Swampscott	15,296	0.5	7.4
38	Marblehead	20,574	1.1	5.5
39	Longmeadow	15,737	0.6	7.6
40	Melrose	28,120	1.1	6.1
41	Wakefield	27,178	1.4	6.0
42	Wilmington	23,915	1.3	6.4
43	East Bridgewater	14,472	1.9	4.4
44	Watertown	36,189	0.8	8.8
45	Newburyport	18,158	1.3	6.9
46	Bridgewater	27,270	2.2	3.5
47	Westport	15,920	1.3	7.0
48	Brookline	58,928	1.0	8.5
49	Milford	29,015	1.7	5.9
50	Hingham	23,960	1.3	7.6
51	Easton	25,079	1.7	5.8
52	Westwood	16,199	0.6	10.2
53	Sandwich	20,016	2.0	4.8
54	Gloucester	30,362	1.9	5.4
55	Amesbury	17,595	1.4	7.5
56	Stoneham	22,732	1.5	7.7
57	Norwood	29,185	1.6	7.4
58	Dedham	25,203	0.3	13.0
59	Amherst	39,603	2.5	4.4
60	Natick	36,358	1.0	10.5
61	Waltham	62,737	1.6	8.2
62	South Hadley	17,816	1.5	8.8
63	Winthrop	18,692	2.0	6.9
64	Abington	16,448	1.4	9.3
65	Chelmsford	35,218	1.0	11.3
66	Rockland	17,879	3.0	3.3
67	Swansea	16,681	2.0	7.1
68	Westborough	19,155	1.3	10.4
69	Whitman	15,134	2.2	6.9
70	Northbridge	16,732	1.9	8.4
71	East Longmeadow	16,269	1.5	10.6
72	Somerset	18,036	2.4	7.2
73	Foxborough	17,631	2.0	9.0
74	Bellingham	17,143	1.5	11.3
75	Medford	57,484	2.0	9.2
76	Woburn	40,251	1.7	10.3
77	Peabody	53,104	2.3	8.2
78	Westfield	41,507	2.0	9.6
79	North Attleboro	29,202	0.8	14.4
80	Mansfield	23,987	2.7	7.0
81	Stoughton	28,961	2.0	9.9
82	Braintree	37,145	1.2	13.1
83	Walpole	25,150	1.9	10.2
84	Methuen	50,727	1.9	10.9
85	Danvers	27,664	1.4	12.9
86	Easthampton	15,979	2.3	9.8
87	Weymouth	57,776	2.9	8.0
88	Mashpee	14,094	2.8	9.4
89	Wilbraham	14,730	1.4	14.9
90	Somerville	81,668	2.0	12.6
91	Canton	23,706	3.6	6.6
92	Ludlow	21,395	2.9	9.3
93	Tewksbury	31,424	2.6	11.0
94	Taunton	57,028	3.8	6.0
95	Randolph	34,385	2.4	11.9
96	Burlington	29,082	1.5	15.5
97	Bourne	19,734	2.7	10.8
98	Seekonk	15,841	1.7	15.4
99	Raynham	14,322	2.0	14.7
100	Malden	60,746	2.7	11.8
101	Attleboro	44,959	2.7	11.6
102	Saugus	28,378	2.5	12.7
103	Plymouth	60,870	3.3	9.8
104	Dartmouth	34,035	2.3	14.7
105	Agawam	28,736	2.9	13.1
106	Auburn	16,724	1.7	18.2
107	Revere	53,654	3.2	12.2
108	Barnstable	44,032	4.0	9.7
109	Falmouth	30,717	3.6	11.6
110	Fairhaven	15,996	3.2	13.4
111	Yarmouth	23,076	4.2	9.9
112	Salem	43,443	2.5	16.7
113	Framingham	73,127	4.1	10.9
114	Cambridge	119,908	2.8	16.5
115	Middleboro	25,183	5.1	7.5
116	Quincy	94,113	4.0	12.2
117	Marlborough	39,673	3.8	13.4
118	Gardner	20,628	3.4	15.0
119	Lowell	111,423	3.6	14.8
120	Northampton	28,735	4.1	15.6
121	Southbridge	16,826	4.7	14.1
122	Lynn	94,449	4.9	14.3
123	Everett	47,195	5.2	13.2
124	Haverhill	63,935	5.2	13.1
125	Fitchburg	40,621	5.3	13.2
126	Leominster	41,631	5.7	14.4
127	Greenfield	17,464	4.8	19.6
128	Lawrence	80,243	6.7	11.9
129	Webster	16,925	7.2	12.3
130	Chelsea	40,496	6.7	14.7
131	Wareham	22,592	7.1	14.3
132	Worcester	184,945	6.3	20.5
133	Fall River	89,066	8.7	12.1
134	Pittsfield	42,268	7.1	18.8
135	Chicopee	55,293	6.1	23.9
136	New Bedford	94,613	6.6	22.5
137	Brockton	95,287	8.2	19.4
138	West Springfield	28,628	4.8	33.8
139	Springfield	154,306	9.1	26.0
140	Holyoke	40,178	8.6	37.2

Find the safest cities in each state

Click on the state image or dropdown menu below to check out the safest cities for each state.

Calvin Wise Tips

Wednesday, March 17, 2021