Safety index · Boston · data through October 2026
Is South Boston safe?
South Boston sits at the safer end of Boston by reported crime. Its SafeRoute safety index is 67 out of 100 — 13 points above the citywide median of 54, ranking 6th of 25 Boston neighborhoods — based on 487 incidents reported to the Boston Police within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 9 months to October 2026.
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 against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
Most of what's reported here is property-related — other theft alone is 20% of reports — rather than violence against strangers, though the full mix below is worth a look.
Reported incidents here skew to daytime and evening hours — only about 14% of severity-weighted reports fall overnight (midnight–6 a.m.).
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Other theft | 97 · 20% | |
| Violent crime | 86 · 18% | |
| Shoplifting | 85 · 17% | |
| Public order | 62 · 13% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 54 · 11% | |
| Burglary | 33 · 7% |
When it happens
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 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 StoreNearby areas
- South Boston Waterfront82/100 · Low risk
- Leather District34/100 · Elevated
- Chinatown36/100 · Elevated
- South End31/100 · Elevated
- Downtown31/100 · Elevated
Common questions
Is South Boston safe at night?
Moderate overall (safety index 67/100). About 44% of severity-weighted incidents in South 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 South Boston?
Other theft — 97 of 487 incidents (20%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 9 months to October 2026.
How is the South 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.