SAFEROUTE

Safety index · Boston · data through September 2026

Is Charlestown safe?

Charlestown sits at the safer end of Boston by reported crime. Its SafeRoute safety index is 77 out of 100 — 22 points above the citywide median of 55, ranking 4th of 25 Boston neighborhoods — based on 244 incidents reported to the Boston Police within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 8 months to September 2026.

77/100
Low risk
SafeRoute safety index for the area within 1 km of the center of Charlestown — higher is safer. 4th of 25 Boston neighborhoods.

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 Charlestown against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.

The largest reported category here is violent crime (14% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.

Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 30% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 16% overnight.

Where incidents cluster

Rutherford AvenueTobin Bridge neighborhood center 1 dot = 1 report · darker = more severe 500 m N ↑
244 incidents reported within 1 km of the Charlestown center · Boston Police data through September 2026 · basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors. Reports cluster toward the south-east of the map — the area immediately around the neighborhood center is comparatively quiet.
Open Charlestown on the live interactive map →

What's reported here

Violent crime
33 · 14%
Criminal damage & arson
41 · 17%
Other theft
60 · 25%
Public order
24 · 10%
Vehicle crime
33 · 14%
Weapons possession
7 · 3%

When it happens

6a–6p6p–12a12a–6aMON–FRI6a–6p6p–12a12a–6aSAT–SUN

Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.

Walking in Charlestown 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 Store

Nearby areas

Common questions

Is Charlestown safe at night?

Low risk overall (safety index 77/100). About 46% of severity-weighted incidents in Charlestown are reported between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Reported crime is low for Boston, but stick to lit, busier streets late.

What is the most common crime in Charlestown?

Violent crime — 33 of 244 incidents (14%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 8 months to September 2026.

How is the Charlestown 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.