crimebycounty

Massachusetts Crime & Safety

Reported crime rates, safety scores, and FBI UCR coverage for all 14 counties.

FBI UCR data

Avg Violent Crime Rate

351.0

per 100K

Avg Property Crime Rate

1107.0

per 100K

Counties with Crime Rates

14/14

100% coverage

County crime atlas

Massachusetts crime patterns by county

A state-level 2.5D view of reported county crime rates. Heights and color intensity are scaled within Massachusetts, with extreme outliers capped visually so the county-by-county pattern stays readable without loading the full national explorer.

Counties

14

Coverage

100%

Data year

2022

State crime brief

What stands out in Massachusetts

The average county-level total crime rate is 1459.0 per 100,000 residents, 38% below the national county benchmark.

Barnstable County reports 1011.6 total crimes per 100,000 residents, while Hampden County reports 2492.2. That spread is why county-level lookup matters more than a single statewide average.

14 of 14 counties have full or partial FBI UCR coverage in the current build, with 419 reporting agencies represented.

Data coverage

14/14

counties with total crime rates

Reporting agencies

419

represented in the FBI UCR data

Primary year

2022

most common county crime data year

County average vs. national benchmark

Unweighted county averages, shown per 100,000 residents.

Total crime

38% below national benchmark.

1459.0

National 2335.1

Violent crime

8% below national benchmark.

351.0

National 380.7

Property crime

43% below national benchmark.

1107.0

National 1954.4

Safety score distribution

Low reported crime0 counties

0% of counties. Safety score 70 or higher.

Middle range8 counties

57% of counties. Safety score from 40 to 69.

Elevated reported crime6 counties

43% of counties. Safety score below 40.

Pending score0 counties

0% of counties. Safety score unavailable.

Reporting coverage

Partial agency coverage14

100%. Some agencies reported, so rates can understate local conditions.

Lowest reported total crime

  1. Barnstable County

    Rank #1 in this list

    1011.6 per 100K

  2. Norfolk County

    Rank #2 in this list

    1031.4 per 100K

  3. Franklin County

    Rank #3 in this list

    1049.6 per 100K

  4. Essex County

    Rank #4 in this list

    1066.9 per 100K

  5. Plymouth County

    Rank #5 in this list

    1107.9 per 100K

Highest reported total crime

  1. Hampden County

    Rank #1 in this list

    2492.2 per 100K

  2. Suffolk County

    Rank #2 in this list

    2384.3 per 100K

  3. Nantucket County

    Rank #3 in this list

    2111.6 per 100K

  4. Berkshire County

    Rank #4 in this list

    1608.4 per 100K

  5. Bristol County

    Rank #5 in this list

    1502.6 per 100K

Highest reported violent crime

  1. Suffolk County

    Rank #1 in this list

    590.7 per 100K

  2. Hampden County

    Rank #2 in this list

    556.2 per 100K

  3. Dukes County

    Rank #3 in this list

    506.3 per 100K

  4. Berkshire County

    Rank #4 in this list

    439.6 per 100K

  5. Bristol County

    Rank #5 in this list

    434.5 per 100K

All Massachusetts Counties

CountySafety Score
Barnstable County56/100
Norfolk County55/100
Franklin County54/100
Essex County52/100
Plymouth County51/100
Middlesex County47/100
Hampshire County47/100
Worcester County46/100
Dukes County37/100
Bristol County35/100
Berkshire County32/100
Nantucket County19/100
Suffolk County15/100
Hampden County13/100

Crime rates per 100K population. — = data pending.

Crime data questions

How to read Massachusetts crime data

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Massachusetts county has the lowest reported crime rate?
Barnstable County has the lowest reported total crime rate in the current Massachusetts county dataset at 1011.6 incidents per 100,000 residents. Use this as a reported county-level benchmark, not a neighborhood-level guarantee.
Which Massachusetts county has the highest reported crime rate?
Hampden County has the highest reported total crime rate in the current Massachusetts county dataset at 2492.2 incidents per 100,000 residents. Per-capita rates can be volatile in small counties, so compare the rate with coverage, agency count, and local law enforcement sources.
How does Massachusetts compare with the national crime benchmark?
Massachusetts's unweighted county-average total crime rate is 1459.0 per 100,000 residents, 38% below national benchmark. The national benchmark shown on this page is 2335.1 per 100,000 residents.
Is violent crime or property crime more common in Massachusetts?
Property crime makes up about 76% of the average reported county crime mix in Massachusetts, while violent crime makes up about 24%. These shares are based on county-level rates in the available FBI UCR dataset.
How complete is the FBI UCR data for Massachusetts?
14 of 14 Massachusetts counties have total crime rates in the current build. The page also lists coverage labels so readers can distinguish full, partial, homicide-only, unavailable, and unlabeled reporting.
Which Massachusetts county has the highest reported violent crime rate?
Suffolk County has the highest reported violent crime rate in the current Massachusetts county dataset at 590.7 incidents per 100,000 residents. Violent crime can be highly localized, so use county comparisons as a starting point for local research.

Concerned about home security?

SimpliSafe offers 24/7 professional monitoring with no contracts required.

Get Protected →

Sponsored

Data Sources

Crime data sourced from the FBI Crime Data Explorer (UCR) and County Health Rankings. Safety scores are derived composite metrics.

Data is informational only. Not legal or security advice. Coverage varies by county and reporting year.

← Back to All StatesSafest Counties in MassachusettsHighest Reported Crime Counties in Massachusetts

Explore more data for Massachusetts

Property TaxCost of LivingIncomeHealthSchoolsRiskWaterWeatherCounty Score