Safety index · Boston · data through July 2026
Is Bay Village safe?
Bay Village records a high level of reported crime for Boston. Its SafeRoute safety index is 34 out of 100 — 21 points below the citywide median of 55, ranking 22nd of 25 Boston neighborhoods — based on 1,470 incidents reported to the Boston Police within 1 km of the neighborhood center (data through July 2026).
The largest reported category here is violent crime (21% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.
Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 26% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 17% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Violent crime | 307 · 21% | |
| Shoplifting | 544 · 37% | |
| Public order | 126 · 9% | |
| Other theft | 174 · 12% | |
| Drugs | 102 · 7% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 63 · 4% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in Bay Village 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
- Chinatown37/100 · Elevated
- South End31/100 · Elevated
- Beacon Hill33/100 · Elevated
- Leather District36/100 · Elevated
- Back Bay42/100 · Elevated
Common questions
Is Bay Village safe at night?
Elevated overall (safety index 34/100). About 43% of severity-weighted incidents in Bay Village 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 Bay Village?
Violent crime — 307 of 1,470 incidents (21%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through July 2026.
How is the Bay Village 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.