Read together, these numbers describe a city that asks a buyer to be specific. Violent crime at 628 per 100,000 sits 65% above the national average of 381, yet property crime at 2,022 per 100k is only 3% above the national 1,954 — the gap between Boston and the rest of the country is concentrated in one category, not spread evenly. The school picture carries the same split: a 3.6/10 average across 16 rated schools sits alongside Boston Latin School at 9.7/10, a spread no citywide average can represent. That is the pattern across every layer here. A 7th-percentile ranking among 13,216 jurisdictions and 8 state-level FEMA declarations both describe Boston, not a block, and not the address on a listing. The decision a buyer is making is about a street, and these figures do not reach it.
Crime in Boston vs. the national average
Boston reports 628 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 65% above the U.S. average of 381, and 2,022 property crimes per 100k versus a national 1,954 (3% above). In the most recent FBI reporting year (2024), the violent crime rate rose 0.1% year over year, a pattern SafeNest classifies as stable.
| Boston | US average | |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crime (per 100k) | 628 | 381 |
| Property crime (per 100k) | 2022 | 1954 |
City-wide averages hide block-by-block variation — the safest and least safe neighborhoods in Boston can differ dramatically. For a specific address, a SafeNest report covers it directly — or search free in the iPhone app.
Flood & natural hazard risk
Federal disaster records for Massachusetts — the state SafeNest uses for Boston's flood context — list 8 FEMA flood disaster declarations between 1972 and 2024, most recently "Severe Storms And Flooding". Massachusetts has also seen 14 hurricane or tropical-storm declarations, events that frequently drive flooding. These are state-level federal declarations, not a parcel-level flood-zone determination — a specific Boston address may sit inside or well outside a FEMA flood zone, which SafeNest does not determine; check FEMA's flood maps and flood-insurance requirements for that address.
Schools in Boston
Public schools in Boston average 3.6/10 on the SafeNest School Score across 16 rated schools. By level, high schools rate strongest at 4.1/10 on average, while elementary schools average 3.9/10. The highest-scoring is Boston Latin School at 9.7/10.
Registered offenders
Registered-offender data is meaningful only at the address level, so SafeNest does not publish a city-wide figure for Boston: a single citywide number would blend blocks with very different profiles and mislead more than it informs. Registered offender counts by distance band for any specific Boston address are included in a SafeNest report, drawn directly from the state's public registry. The iPhone app shows that count free for any address, and maps each registrant with Premium.
Compare other cities
- Compare with New York crime rate.
- Also on SafeNest: is Jersey City safe?
- See also crime and safety data for Newark.
- Compare how safe Baltimore is.
- Another city on the same data: the Washington safety report.
Check a specific Boston address
City averages are a starting point. A SafeNest report covers one specific address — crime, registered offender counts, flood and disaster history, schools, air quality, taxes — delivered by email as a PDF.
Or search any Boston address free in the iPhone app.
Common questions about safety in Boston
Is Boston, MA safe?
Boston records 628 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 65% above the US national average of 381. Overall SafeNest grade: D, a city-wide average of reported crime. It does not describe a specific street or address.
What is the crime rate in Boston?
Boston reports approximately 628 violent crimes and 2022 property crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024, the most recent FBI reporting year in our data.
Does Boston have flood risk?
SafeNest reports federal disaster declaration history for the area. For Boston, federal records show 8 FEMA flood disaster declarations for Massachusetts, most recently in 2024; a specific address may still sit inside or outside a FEMA flood zone, which SafeNest does not determine — check FEMA's flood maps for that address.
How this page was built
Every figure here comes from the same public records behind SafeNest's grading. We published the full method and what it does and doesn't support in We graded 13,216 American cities with FBI data — including where a letter grade means almost nothing. City comparisons: safest cities in Massachusetts.
Other city safety reports
Data compiled from public sources including FBI crime statistics, FEMA disaster declarations and the FEMA National Risk Index, NCES education data, and state registries. Last updated 2026-08-17. Figures are city-level estimates; verify with primary sources before making decisions. SafeNest is not a consumer reporting agency (see Terms).