Safety index · Boston · data through September 2026
Is West Roxbury safe?
West Roxbury sits at the safer end of Boston by reported crime. Its SafeRoute safety index is 91 out of 100 — 36 points above the citywide median of 55, ranking 1st of 25 Boston neighborhoods — based on 97 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 West Roxbury against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
Most of what's reported here is property-related — public order alone is 22% of reports — rather than violence against strangers, though the full mix below is worth a look.
Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 23% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 20% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Public order | 21 · 22% | |
| Violent crime | 11 · 11% | |
| Shoplifting | 34 · 35% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 7 · 7% | |
| Other theft | 8 · 8% | |
| Robbery | 3 · 3% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in West Roxbury 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
- Roslindale86/100 · Low risk
- Hyde Park64/100 · Moderate
- Jamaica Plain55/100 · Moderate
- Mattapan48/100 · Elevated
- Roxbury47/100 · Elevated
Common questions
Is West Roxbury safe at night?
Low risk overall (safety index 91/100). About 43% of severity-weighted incidents in West Roxbury 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 West Roxbury?
Public order — 21 of 97 incidents (22%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 8 months to September 2026.
How is the West Roxbury 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.