Safety index · Boston · data through September 2026
Is Dorchester safe?
Dorchester records more reported crime than most Boston neighborhoods. Its SafeRoute safety index is 35 out of 100 — 20 points below the citywide median of 55, ranking 20th of 25 Boston neighborhoods — based on 1,669 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 Dorchester 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.
Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 26% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 16% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Violent crime | 197 · 12% | |
| Other theft | 335 · 20% | |
| Public order | 192 · 12% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 145 · 9% | |
| Vehicle crime | 201 · 12% | |
| Drugs | 154 · 9% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in Dorchester 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
- Roxbury47/100 · Elevated
- Mattapan48/100 · Elevated
- Jamaica Plain55/100 · Moderate
- South Boston67/100 · Moderate
- South End31/100 · Elevated
Common questions
Is Dorchester safe at night?
Elevated overall (safety index 35/100). About 43% of severity-weighted incidents in Dorchester 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 Dorchester?
Violent crime — 197 of 1,669 incidents (12%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 8 months to September 2026.
How is the Dorchester 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.