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Most Dangerous Cities in Massachusetts 2024

Avg Violent Crime Rate

284
0.6x avg
per 100K (these cities)

Avg Murder Rate

1.4
0.2x avg
per 100K (national: 6.2)

Avg Property Crime Rate

1,054
per 100K (these cities)

Crime Hotspots in Massachusetts (2024)

These 82 cities reported the highest crime rates in Massachusetts. On average, they experience 0.5x the national crime rate, with violent crime averaging 284 per 100,000 (national average: 473).

Holyoke, MA tops the list with a total crime rate of 5,273 per 100,000 — 1.9x the national average. Its violent crime rate of 1,041 per 100K is 2.2x the national average.

Full Rankings

# City State Population Total Crime Rate Violent Crime Rate Murder Rate vs National
1 Holyoke MA 38,232 5,273.1 1,041.0 7.9 +92%
2 Springfield MA 155,491 3,728.2 892.7 10.9 +35%
3 West Springfield MA 28,898 3,588.5 415.3 0.0 +30%
4 Cambridge MA 120,447 3,081.0 436.7 0.0 +12%
5 Boston MA 659,049 2,649.7 628.0 3.6 +-4%
6 Chelsea MA 38,307 2,414.7 978.9 5.2 +-12%
7 Chicopee MA 55,770 2,327.4 566.6 7.2 +-15%
8 Lowell MA 116,062 2,195.4 532.5 4.3 +-20%
9 Fall River MA 95,573 2,136.6 745.0 3.1 +-22%
10 Watertown MA 35,885 2,012.0 153.3 0.0 +-27%
11 Revere MA 57,779 1,980.0 444.8 0.0 +-28%
12 Brockton MA 106,650 1,944.7 599.2 7.5 +-29%
13 Somerville MA 81,766 1,920.1 221.4 0.0 +-30%
14 Burlington MA 27,124 1,887.6 224.9 0.0 +-31%
15 Fitchburg MA 42,332 1,830.8 486.6 2.4 +-33%
16 Leominster MA 44,407 1,799.3 484.2 4.5 +-35%
17 Pittsfield MA 42,835 1,750.9 511.3 4.7 +-36%
18 Lynn MA 103,200 1,745.2 574.6 2.9 +-37%
19 Northampton MA 30,108 1,717.2 445.1 3.3 +-38%
20 New Bedford MA 102,491 1,712.4 353.2 6.8 +-38%
21 Salem MA 45,955 1,706.0 152.3 0.0 +-38%
22 Quincy MA 103,550 1,667.8 335.1 0.0 +-39%
23 Everett MA 51,744 1,662.0 347.9 0.0 +-40%
24 Saugus MA 29,180 1,651.8 250.2 0.0 +-40%
25 Danvers MA 28,375 1,617.6 137.4 0.0 +-41%
26 Dedham MA 25,355 1,597.3 272.1 0.0 +-42%
27 Malden MA 66,046 1,471.7 292.2 0.0 +-47%
28 Marlboro MA 41,785 1,457.5 421.2 0.0 +-47%
29 Lawrence MA 89,600 1,438.6 439.7 7.8 +-48%
30 Braintree MA 39,018 1,404.5 284.5 0.0 +-49%
31 Stoughton MA 29,410 1,387.3 258.4 0.0 +-50%
32 Framingham MA 73,123 1,379.9 325.5 0.0 +-50%
33 Medford MA 59,601 1,379.2 179.5 0.0 +-50%
34 Natick MA 37,073 1,348.7 213.1 0.0 +-51%
35 Attleboro MA 47,594 1,346.8 220.6 2.1 +-51%
36 Dartmouth MA 34,792 1,345.1 250.1 0.0 +-51%
37 Haverhill MA 68,602 1,335.2 411.1 0.0 +-51%
38 Agawam MA 28,921 1,331.2 287.0 0.0 +-52%
39 Taunton MA 61,874 1,281.6 447.7 1.6 +-53%
40 Chelmsford MA 36,795 1,250.2 122.3 0.0 +-55%
41 Barnstable MA 50,928 1,195.8 410.4 2.0 +-57%
42 Milford MA 30,799 1,188.4 285.7 3.3 +-57%
43 Woburn MA 42,716 1,142.4 215.4 0.0 +-58%
44 Randolph MA 34,992 1,134.6 240.1 2.9 +-59%
45 North Attleboro MA 31,565 1,127.8 95.0 0.0 +-59%
46 Tewksbury MA 31,827 1,124.8 254.5 0.0 +-59%
47 Falmouth MA 33,877 1,124.7 283.4 0.0 +-59%
48 Peabody MA 54,964 1,091.6 254.7 0.0 +-60%
49 Middleboro MA 25,046 1,054.1 427.2 0.0 +-62%
50 Weymouth MA 60,802 1,042.7 223.7 0.0 +-62%
51 Plymouth MA 68,195 1,017.7 322.6 2.9 +-63%
52 Westfield MA 41,270 998.3 191.4 0.0 +-64%
53 Brookline MA 64,122 995.0 99.8 0.0 +-64%
54 Methuen MA 54,623 972.1 175.8 0.0 +-65%
55 Yarmouth MA 25,616 972.1 296.7 0.0 +-65%
56 Waltham MA 65,488 951.3 252.0 1.5 +-65%
57 Walpole MA 26,268 947.9 133.2 0.0 +-66%
58 Easton MA 25,941 921.3 146.5 0.0 +-67%
59 Norwood MA 31,704 880.0 167.2 0.0 +-68%
60 Andover MA 37,152 872.1 94.2 0.0 +-68%
61 Gloucester MA 30,599 830.1 277.8 0.0 +-70%
62 Canton MA 25,181 830.0 289.9 0.0 +-70%
63 Dracut MA 32,821 804.4 149.3 0.0 +-71%
64 Belmont MA 27,280 755.1 51.3 0.0 +-73%
65 North Andover MA 32,474 705.2 138.6 3.1 +-74%
66 Needham MA 32,779 698.6 51.9 0.0 +-75%
67 Shrewsbury MA 39,837 672.7 30.1 0.0 +-76%
68 Newton MA 89,935 648.3 48.9 0.0 +-76%
69 Milton MA 28,832 613.9 52.0 0.0 +-78%
70 Wakefield MA 28,594 584.0 174.9 0.0 +-79%
71 Beverly MA 43,024 578.8 167.4 0.0 +-79%
72 Reading MA 25,871 572.1 38.7 0.0 +-79%
73 Wellesley MA 31,973 531.7 46.9 0.0 +-81%
74 Melrose MA 29,784 530.5 100.7 0.0 +-81%
75 Billerica MA 42,332 512.6 101.6 0.0 +-81%
76 Arlington MA 46,956 489.8 55.4 0.0 +-82%
77 Amherst MA 46,304 466.5 159.8 0.0 +-83%
78 Lexington MA 34,350 387.2 52.4 0.0 +-86%
79 Franklin MA 33,716 382.6 94.9 0.0 +-86%
80 Marshfield MA 26,238 312.5 144.8 3.8 +-89%
81 Bridgewater MA 29,465 274.9 74.7 0.0 +-90%
82 Worcester MA 212,425 16.5 16.5 7.5 +-99%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most dangerous city in Massachusetts?

Holyoke, MA has the highest crime rate in Massachusetts at 5,273.1 per 100,000 residents in 2024.

What makes a city dangerous?

High crime rates, particularly violent crime, indicate elevated risk. Cities on this list average a violent crime rate of 284 per 100K — 0.6x the national average of 473.

Is the crime rate getting worse?

Crime trends vary by city. Some cities on this list have seen decreasing rates in recent years while others have increased. Visit individual city pages for year-over-year trend data.

See Also

Safest cities in Massachusetts Crime statistics by state Compare two cities

Understanding High Crime Rates

High crime rates often correlate with factors like poverty, unemployment, population density, and policing resources — not a city's inherent character. Many cities on this list have neighborhoods that are quite safe, while others face concentrated challenges in specific areas.

Crime rates also reflect reporting practices: cities with well-funded police departments may report more crimes than those with fewer resources.

Most Dangerous Cities by State

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