Safety index · Boston · data through September 2026
Is Back Bay safe?
Back Bay records more reported crime than most Boston neighborhoods. Its SafeRoute safety index is 42 out of 100 — 13 points below the citywide median of 55, ranking 18th of 25 Boston neighborhoods — based on 1,629 incidents reported to the Boston Police within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 8 months to September 2026.
DATA THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2026 · 8 MONTHS OF DATA
The 0–100 scale is calibrated to Boston — a typical Boston neighborhood sits near 55. It ranks Back Bay against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
The largest reported category here is violent crime (12% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.
Reported incidents here skew to daytime and evening hours — only about 11% of severity-weighted reports fall overnight (midnight–6 a.m.).
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Violent crime | 192 · 12% | |
| Shoplifting | 907 · 56% | |
| Other theft | 185 · 11% | |
| Public order | 100 · 6% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 59 · 4% | |
| Burglary | 46 · 3% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in Back Bay at night?
SafeRoute scores every walking route against the same live crime data on this page — and shows how much of each route runs on lit streets. Pick the safer way, share your walk, and check in when you arrive. Free, no account.
Get SafeRoute on the App StoreNearby areas
- Bay Village33/100 · Elevated
- South End31/100 · Elevated
- Beacon Hill32/100 · Elevated
- Fenway60/100 · Moderate
- Chinatown36/100 · Elevated
Common questions
Is Back Bay safe at night?
Elevated overall (safety index 42/100). About 39% of severity-weighted incidents in Back Bay are reported between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. At night, prefer lit, busier streets — a block or two of detour often avoids the clusters on the map above.
What is the most common crime in Back Bay?
Violent crime — 192 of 1,629 incidents (12%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 8 months to September 2026.
How is the Back Bay safety index calculated?
SafeRoute weights each incident reported to the Boston Police Department by severity (violence weighs more than shoplifting), sums the last available period within 1 km of the neighborhood center, and normalizes against citywide crime rates onto a 0–100 scale — higher is safer. It describes reported crime only; it is not a guarantee of safety. The scale is calibrated within Boston, so scores compare neighborhoods to each other and cannot be read against another city's.