SAFEROUTE

Safety index · Boston · data through October 2026

Is South Boston Waterfront safe?

South Boston Waterfront sits at the safer end of Boston by reported crime. Its SafeRoute safety index is 82 out of 100 — 28 points above the citywide median of 54, ranking 3rd of 25 Boston neighborhoods — based on 189 incidents reported to the Boston Police within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 9 months to October 2026.

82/100
Low risk
SafeRoute safety index for the area within 1 km of the center of South Boston Waterfront — higher is safer. 3rd of 25 Boston neighborhoods.

DATA THROUGH OCTOBER 2026 · 9 MONTHS OF DATA

The 0–100 scale is calibrated to Boston — a typical Boston neighborhood sits near 54. It ranks South Boston Waterfront against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.

The largest reported category here is violent crime (32% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.

Timing matters here: about 39% of severity-weighted incidents are reported overnight (midnight–6 a.m.), so route choice late at night matters more than the headline number suggests.

Where incidents cluster

Massachusetts TurnpikeSummer Street neighborhood center 500 m N ↑
1 dot = 1 report · darker = more severe · rings every 250 m from the neighborhood center189 incidents reported within 1 km of the South Boston Waterfront center · Boston Police data through October 2026 · basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Open South Boston Waterfront on the live interactive map →

What's reported here

Violent crime
60 · 32%
Other theft
41 · 22%
Public order
25 · 13%
Other
16 · 8%
Vehicle crime
11 · 6%
Drugs
10 · 5%

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.

Is Boston safe at night? See which neighborhoods see the most reported crime after dark →

Walking in South Boston Waterfront at night?

SafeRoute scores every walking route against the same official crime data on this page — and shows how much of each route runs on lit streets. Compare the routes and share your walk. Free, no account.

Get SafeRoute on the App Store

Nearby areas

Common questions

Is South Boston Waterfront safe at night?

Low risk overall (safety index 82/100). About 62% of severity-weighted incidents in South Boston Waterfront 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 South Boston Waterfront?

Violent crime — 60 of 189 incidents (32%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 9 months to October 2026.

How is the South Boston Waterfront 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.