Safety index · Boston · data through July 2026
Is Downtown safe?
Downtown records a high level of reported crime for Boston. Its SafeRoute safety index is 32 out of 100 — 23 points below the citywide median of 55, ranking 24th of 25 Boston neighborhoods — based on 1,440 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 (23% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.
Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 27% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 22% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Violent crime | 328 · 23% | |
| Public order | 178 · 12% | |
| Shoplifting | 390 · 27% | |
| Drugs | 141 · 10% | |
| Other theft | 171 · 12% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 63 · 4% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in Downtown 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
- Leather District36/100 · Elevated
- Chinatown37/100 · Elevated
- Beacon Hill33/100 · Elevated
- North End52/100 · Moderate
- Bay Village34/100 · Elevated
Common questions
Is Downtown safe at night?
Elevated overall (safety index 32/100). About 49% of severity-weighted incidents in Downtown 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 Downtown?
Violent crime — 328 of 1,440 incidents (23%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through July 2026.
How is the Downtown 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.