Top 10 Safest Cities in Massachusetts for 2025

Home Security Life released its “Top 10 Safest Cities in Massachusetts for 2025” report. We’re excited to announce that Clinton, Massachusetts, is our top-ranked city for Massachusetts in 2025. You can find the rest of the top 10 list below.

  1. Clinton, MA
  2. Northborough, MA
  3. Wayland, MA
  4. Grafton, MA
  5. Holden, MA
  6. Scituate, MA
  7. Sharon, MA
  8. Westford, MA
  9. Duxbury, MA
  10. Lexington, MA

As a resident of Massachusetts, you might like to know about the crime rate in Massachusetts, whether you live in one of its safest cities, and how home security solutions could benefit you. After all, the global pandemic brought with it a spike in national crime rates. Although those statistics have slowly decreased since 2020, they haven’t fallen back to pre-pandemic numbers yet.  

According to the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ), violent crime rates in 2024 continued to decrease, returning to or falling below pre-pandemic levels. The CCJ’s year-end 2024 report indicates that homicide and most other violent crimes have fallen below pre-pandemic levels in a sample of U.S. cities.

While violent crimes are trending down, we’ve still seen thefts and property damage continue climbing. Could your Massachusetts property fall prey to rising theft rates? Should you invest in an alarm system to thwart would-be burglars? 

Home Security Life’s team of security professionals dug into national and state-level statistics to provide answers to your questions. 

Historical Context of Crime Rates in Massachusetts

From 2011 to 2020, Massachusetts has experienced a consistent, downward trend in its overall crime rates, as demonstrated by the FBI’s Criminal Data Explorer. While national crime statistics began rising in 2020, Massachusetts crime rates continued plummeting. The state’s population increased steadily from 2010 to 2020. 

Increased population correlates with rising crime rates in many areas. However, Massachusetts consistently bucked that trend throughout the past decade.

Poverty rates consistently influence influxes of criminal activity, and Massachusetts is no exception. Crime and poverty rates spiked between 2010 and 2013. Both rates decreased throughout the decade, with a sharp but small increase in 2020 because of the pandemic.   

Comparison to National Crime Rates

When discussing patterns of criminal activity, remember there are two main types of crime: violent crime and property crime. Property crimes typically include burglary, theft, larceny, and other varieties of property damage. Violent crime, on the other hand, insinuates murder, rape, assault, and the like. Both crime types can instill financial loss, trauma, reputation damage, and growing mistrust within a community.

The differentiation comes into play with the following statistics. In 2011, federal crime rates for both violent and property-related crimes sat significantly lower than Massachusetts’ statistics. However, a fascinating trend would surface during the pandemic.

From 2011 through 2020, Massachusetts property crimes consistently lowered. While state statistics couldn’t keep up with the federal level’s continuous downward trend initially, Massachusetts’ violent crime rate would plummet below federal rates through 2020 and beyond. Federal violent crimes would significantly increase throughout the pandemic.

What do these numbers mean? They mean that Massachusetts is one of the safest states in the country.  

Factors Influencing Crime Rates in Massachusetts

Although many states experience influxes in criminal activity, Massachusetts residents enjoyed the opposite. How can any state increase its population while keeping both violent and property-related crimes so low? Residents of Northeastern states tend to enjoy the following privileges more than their Southern and Western counterparts:

  • Community initiatives: State and municipal governments allocate numerous resources to provide for their communities. These resources include crime prevention campaigns that focus on police departments’ relationships with citizens.  
  • Education: Northeastern American culture boasts high-ranking academic institutions. The proximity of these institutions allows residents to easily access quality information, courses, training, and other higher-learning initiatives. 
  • Stability: Massachusetts and other Northeastern states boast higher income and lower poverty rates compared to their counterparts in other areas of the country. 

The quality of police institutions, economic stability, and access to educational institutions all directly influence an area’s crime rate. Since Massachusetts residents can enjoy these and other privileges, they can also reap the benefits of a relatively safe state. 

Specific Types of Crime

Between 2011 and 2023, Massachusetts experienced fluctuations in its overall crime rates, encompassing both violent and property crimes. According to data from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, the total number of reported crimes increased from 232,866 in 2022 to 241,370 in 2023, marking a rise of approximately 3.6%. Source

Recent data indicates significant positive trends in Massachusetts’ violent crime rates:​

Homicides:

  • Boston: The city recorded 24 homicides in 2024, a 33% decrease from the previous year and the lowest count since 1957. ​

  • Statewide: While specific statewide homicide figures for 2024 are pending, Boston’s performance suggests a broader positive trend within Massachusetts.​

Aggravated Assaults:

  • Cambridge: From January to September 2024, Cambridge reported 196 aggravated assaults, a 4% decrease compared to the same period in 2023. ​

  • National Context: Nationally, aggravated assaults increased by 4% in 2024 compared to 2019. ​Source

Robberies:

  • National Context: Robbery rates decreased by 15% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2019. ​

These statistics underscore Massachusetts’ continued progress in reducing violent crime rates, with Boston achieving particularly notable improvements.​

Property crimes like burglaries and thefts have continued to decline over the last few years. Let’s take a look at some of the latest insights we have for these:

  • Burglary: 250.7 reported cases per 100,000 people in 2023 – Source
  • Larceny-theft: 1347.2 cases per 100,000 people in 2023 – Source
  • Motor vehicle theft: 283.5 cases per 100,000 people in 2023 – Source

Safest Cities in Massachusetts

Which Massachusetts cities boast some of the lowest crime rates? You’ll find a selection of 10 of the safest cities, along with their relative statistics per 1,000 residents, below. Each city’s ranking depends on its total crime rate from greatest to least.

  1. Clinton: Clinton, MA’s population sits at just over 14,000. Residents statistically report 4 violent crimes and 8 property crimes each year. The city is safer than 92 percent of U.S. cities.
  2. Northborough: Northborough’s 15,990 residents statistically face 3 violent crimes and 14 property crimes each year. The city is safer than 91 percent of U.S. cities.
  3. Wayland: With a population around 13,933 residents, Wayland, MA, residents statistically report 1 violent crime and 33 property crimes each year. The city is safer than 85 percent of U.S. cities.
  4. Grafton: This town’s population of 19,347 only reports 23 violent crimes and 31 property crimes annually. The city is safer than 84 percent of U.S. cities.
  5. Holden: Holden’s population is just below 20,000. Residents report 18 violent crimes and 38 property crimes per year. The city is safer than 83 percent of U.S. cities.
  6. Scituate: Scituate’s population of 20,046 residents will likely report 13 violent crimes vs. 44 property crimes per year. The city is safer than 82 percent of U.S. cities.
  7. Sharon: The town’s population of 18,491 will statistically experience 5 violent and 50 property crimes per 1,000 people each year. The city is safer than 82 percent of U.S. cities.
  8. Westford: The city’s 25,834 citizens statistically report only 13 violent crimes annually. Property crimes rose to 66 cases annually. The city is safer than 81 percent of U.S. cities.
  9. Duxbury: With a population of 16,780, Duxbury’s crime statistics show only 14 violent crimes and 37 property crimes annually. The city is safer than 81 percent of U.S. cities.
  10. Lexington: This city’s 34,544 citizens statistically experience 10 violent crimes and 102 property crimes annually. The city is safer than 80 percent of U.S. cities.

Although Massachusetts boasts some of the safest cities and lowest crime rates, property crimes far exceed most violent crimes. If you’ve avoided installing business or residential security solutions because of your area’s safety, reconsider that approach. 

Explore all of the options for home security companies in Massachusetts to ensure your property is protected.