Most dangerous cities in Massachusetts

One of the original 13 states that made up the US, Massachusetts is the seventh smallest state in land area. Boston, which is also its most populated city, serves as its capital. There are more than 350 cities in the state, and 26 of them have a population of over 50,000. This ranking of the most dangerous cities in Massachusetts is a result of data from Home Security Shield and the most recent FBI crime report. The ten dangerous cities located in Massachusetts are the focus of this article. Statistical evidence is present that spans from 2018 to the present. These cities, which each have a minimum of 10,000 residents, are as follows:

Fall River

In Fall River, the crime rate is declining. The city’s violent crime rate dropped by 15% between 2011 and 2013, and property crime rates fell by 35%. The population was 89,066 as of 2019. Seven hundred seventy-three violent offenses and 1,074 property crimes get reported each year. Violent and property crimes jointly may lead to a hazardous environment. The fact that Fall River is on this list and where the infamous killer Lizzie Borden was born is not surprising. With two homicides in 2020 and a violent crime rate of 772 per 100,000 residents, Fall River ranks as the most dangerous city in Massachusetts and the tenth-largest city by population in the Commonwealth.

Springfield

In the state, Springfield is third in terms of the population, behind Boston and Worcester. Even though it had fewer citizens than Worcester, there were 18 homicides in 2022 compared to just 10, and the violent crime rate was 732 occurrences per 100,000 people. For example, the FBI crime report lists the city’s population as 154,306. There are 1,397 violent crimes reported, including 20 murders, 20 non-negligent cases of death, and a problematic 81 manslaughter cases. The theft of motor vehicles is another crime that peaked at 493 crimes. There is a 1 in 18 risk of becoming a victim of crime in Springfield, leading to one of the highest rates of crimes per capita.

Chelsea

Forty thousand people live in Chelsea, which is on the Mystic River across from Boston. It is the tiniest city in the state, with a little 2.5 square miles in size and a population of 40,496 in 2019. In Massachusetts, only Somerville has a higher population density per square kilometer than this city. In Chelsea, there were 521 violent offenses reported per 100,000 people in 2020, and there were two homicides during that time. There were 270 violent crimes with 0 reports of murder and intentional homicide. Property offenses peaked with 595 reported incidents. If you take into account additional criteria like aggravated assault (178), property crime (594), burglary (105), and theft (406), Chelsea would be considered one of the most dangerous cities to live in. However, it also has a lot to offer, like this firehouse-turned-restaurant, as all of these communities do.

Boston

The state’s capital and commercial hub is Boston, and crime is an inherent aspect of urban life, as it is in any significant metropolis. Boston has the highest per-capita murder rate of any of the locations examined. To put that into perspective, there were a total of 42 murders in Boston in 2019. Approximately seven homicides per 100,000 people, or.00007 per person, occur in a city with a population of slightly over 698,941 people. Although it might seem like a small amount, this is more than any other location in the state. In the city, there were 10,590 theft-larceny reports and 1,703 burglary reports.

Holyoke

Holyoke has a population of 40,178, making it a comparatively tiny city. In 2020, 84 murders occurred, and there were reports of 345 violent crimes per 100,000 people. 2019 saw 345 violent crimes, four murders, and non-negligent manslaughters reported in the city. According to other records, there were 1,494 property crimes and 1,184 larceny-theft offenses in 2017.

Brockton

According to violent crime rates, Brockton is Massachusetts’s sixth most populous and sixth most dangerous city. With a population of 154,518, there were 10.39 violent crimes, 45.46 property crimes, and 55.85 reported crimes per 1,000 persons each year. Four killings and 671 violent crimes per 100,000 people were reported in 2020, respectively. On the other hand, there was a total population of 95,287 registered in 2019. Aggravated assault cases reached a height of 566, property crime reached 1,853, burglary reached 248, and larceny-theft reached 1,317. Brockton remains one of the most dangerous cities in Massachusetts, even though violent crime rates have decreased significantly since the FBI report from 2013.

Pittsfield

With a population of 42,268, Pittsfield is the 32nd most populated city in Massachusetts. According to the FBI crime report, there were 300 violent crimes in 2019 with a moderate number of other instances, including 231 aggravated assault cases, 796 property crimes, 263 burglaries, and 490 incidents of larceny-theft. In 2020, there was one homicide, and the violent crime rate was 728 per 100,000 residents.

West Springfield

West of the city’s center, on the Connecticut River, is the town of West Springfield. West Springfield is ranked second in property crimes; however, it is ranked 19th in terms of violent crimes out of 50 communities. Theft and robbery are both serious offenses. It was ranked as the 18th worst city due to the widespread thievery reported every year. According to the FBI’s 2019 crime report, 28,628 people were living in West Springfield. There were 138 violent crime cases in total. There were several other cases rather than any murder or non-negligent homicides. Eighteen rape instances, 15 robberies, 105 incidences of violent assault, 969 property crime cases, 101 burglary cases, and 814 theft-larceny cases have all been reported.

New Bedford

Although this city in Bristol County didn’t have as many murders per resident as some of the cities in our top 10, that doesn’t imply it was free from violent crime. New Bedford has the third-highest rate of violent crimes in the state per resident. It also had a high rate of total and property crimes committed against each individual. According to the FBI’s 2019 crime report, the city’s total population was 94,613, and there were 628 violent crimes, three murders, and non-negligent manslaughters, 66 rapes, 176 robberies, 383 aggravated assaults, 2,127 property crimes, 465 burglaries, 1,513 larceny-thefts, and 149 motor vehicle thefts.

Chicopee

The most recent year for which statistics are available was 2019 when there were 1,660 reports of crimes in Chicopee, Massachusetts. When adjusted for population, the city’s annual crime rate is 3,002 incidents for every 100,000 residents. Chicopee’s location, in the center between Holyoke and Springfield, doesn’t assist the crime problem. Compared to the cities it surrounds, Chicopee has a lower rate of violent crime, but its rate of property crime is virtually as high. Keeping all of your possessions secure is a wise idea because Chicopee saw 971 incidences of theft in 2019. The overall crime rate of Chicopee is 99% greater than the state of Massachusetts as a whole. 2019 had 103,895 crimes reported statewide, or 1,507 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Conclusion

Massachusetts is nevertheless one of the safest states in the US despite all these crimes! It has the fourth-lowest crime rate in the nation, making many of its communities and even its large cities safer than most anyplace else.