Safety index · Boston · data through September 2026
Is East Boston safe?
East Boston shows a typical level of reported crime for Boston. Its SafeRoute safety index is 65 out of 100 — 10 points above the citywide median of 55, ranking 8th of 25 Boston neighborhoods — based on 473 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 East Boston against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
The largest reported category here is violent crime (19% 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 12% of severity-weighted reports fall overnight (midnight–6 a.m.).
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Violent crime | 89 · 19% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 43 · 9% | |
| Public order | 44 · 9% | |
| Other theft | 60 · 13% | |
| Shoplifting | 118 · 25% | |
| Drugs | 42 · 9% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in East Boston 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
- North End51/100 · Moderate
- Charlestown77/100 · Low risk
- West End47/100 · Elevated
- Downtown31/100 · Elevated
- South Boston Waterfront83/100 · Low risk
Common questions
Is East Boston safe at night?
Moderate overall (safety index 65/100). About 46% of severity-weighted incidents in East Boston 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 East Boston?
Violent crime — 89 of 473 incidents (19%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 8 months to September 2026.
How is the East Boston 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.