Crime & Safety in Boston, MA
Violent and property crime rates, clearance data, and trends — 2024 Data
Crime Overview
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024)Violent Crime Rate
6.28
per 1,000 residents
+40% vs national
Property Crime Rate
20.22
per 1,000 residents
-7% vs national
Total Crimes
17,463
2024
Violent Clearance
31%
cases solved
-27% vs national
Property Clearance
6%
cases solved
vs Similar Cities
-28%
vs 500K-1M avg
-28% vs 500K-1M
YoY Change
+0.1%
violent crime rate
worsening vs 2023
How Boston Compares
Source: FBI (2024)Boston vs Similar Cities
Source: FBI (2024)Compared to cities with 500,000 - 1,000,000 residents. Boston is highlighted in green.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)
Murder Rate (per 1,000)
Violent Crime Clearance Rate
Crime Rate Trends
Source: FBICrime Composition
Source: FBI (2024)Violent Crime Breakdown
Property Crime Breakdown
Crime Clearance (Solve) Rates
Source: FBI (2024)Boston police solve 54% of murder cases but only 0% of motor vehicle theft cases. The national violent crime clearance rate is 42%.
Weapon Used in Violent Crime
Source: FBI (2024)Crime Breakdown
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024)| Crime Type | Category | Count | Rate per 1K | Clearance % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murder | Violent | 24 | 0.04 | 54.2% |
| Rape | Violent | 169 | 0.26 | 24.3% |
| Robbery | Violent | 833 | 1.26 | 18.1% |
| Aggravated Assault | Violent | 3,112 | 4.72 | 34.8% |
| Burglary | Property | 1,171 | 1.78 | 15.7% |
| Larceny/Theft | Property | 11,121 | 16.87 | 5.1% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | Property | 1,032 | 1.57 | 0.5% |
Boston, MA reported 4,139 violent crimes and 13,324 property crimes in 2024. The violent crime rate of 6.28 per 1,000 residents is 40.1% above the national average of 4.48 per 1,000. Law enforcement cleared 31% of violent crimes. Larceny/theft accounts for 11,121 of the property crime reports. Firearms were involved in 14.6% of aggravated assaults. Compared to similarly sized cities (500,000 - 1,000,000 population), Boston's violent crime rate is 28% lower. Violent crime has been trending upward.
Crime History
Source: FBI| Year | Violent | Property | Violent Rate | Property Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4,139 | 13,324 | 6.28 | 20.22 |
| 2023 | 4,034 | 12,499 | 6.28 | 19.44 |
| 2022 | 4,049 | 11,661 | 6.34 | 18.25 |
| 2021 | 3,937 | 11,702 | 5.59 | 16.60 |
| 2020 | 4,435 | 13,199 | 6.36 | 18.93 |
| 2019 | 4,244 | 13,213 | 6.07 | 18.90 |
| 2018 | 4,324 | 14,007 | 6.22 | 20.16 |
| 2017 | 4,571 | 14,266 | 6.69 | 20.89 |
| 2016 | 4,771 | 14,489 | 7.08 | 21.50 |
| 2015 | 4,702 | 15,408 | 7.07 | 23.16 |
School Shootings
Source: The Washington PostTotal Incidents
1
Total Killed
0
Total Injured
1
| Date | School | Killed | Injured | Type | Weapon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 3, 1999 | Dorchester High School | 0 | 1 | targeted | nan |
Data from The Washington Post, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.