What are the most dangerous cities in Massachusetts? To get the lowdown on the cities in Massachusetts that are the most dangerous with the highest crime rates, we consulted the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report. Our rankings are based solely on the data publicly released each year by the FBI. A crime is a crime, so we took both violent and property crimes into account when compiling our list of Massachusetts’ most dangerous cities. Our list of dangerous cities, however, are ranked according to violent crime rate.*

We realize that this topic is inherently controversial in nature and hits close to home. We are aware that there are many different ways to present this data, but when compiling this list we chose to consider not just murder rate, but both violent and property crimes. Our list is ranked by violent crime rate, but check each city listing to get a general idea of the city’s ranking in terms of overall criminal offenses. Only cities with populations over 5,000 were considered.

1. Chelsea, MA: Massachusetts’ Most Dangerous City Population: 35,966

Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents

Violent Crimes: 18.52 per 1,000 residents

Property Crimes: 38.29 per 1,000 residents

Total Reported Crimes: 56.80 per 1,000 residents Chelsea has a crime rate of about 57 per one thousand residents. Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Chelsea? One in 18. Chelsea’s ranking when considering both violent and property crimes? #2 These statistics make Chelsea the most dangerous city in Massachusetts.

2. Brockton, MA Population: 95,156

Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents

Violent Crimes: 11.43 per 1,000 residents

Property Crimes: 32.27 per 1,000 residents

Total Reported Crimes: 43.71 per 1,000 residents Brockton has a crime rate of about 44 per one thousand residents. Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Brockton? One in 23. Brockton’s ranking when considering both violent and property crimes? #10

3. New Bedford, MA Population: 96,031

Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents

Violent Crimes: 10.73 per 1,000 residents

Property Crimes: 33.11 per 1,000 residents

Total Reported Crimes: 43.84 per 1,000 residents New Bedford has a crime rate of about 44 per one thousand residents. Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in New Bedford? One in 23. New Bedford’s ranking when considering both violent and property crimes? #9

4. Fall River, MA Population: 89,753

Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents

Violent Crimes: 10.63 per 1,000 residents

Property Crimes: 30.15 per 1,000 residents

Total Reported Crimes: 40.78 per 1,000 residents Fall River has a crime rate of about 44 per one thousand residents. Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Fall River? One in 25. Fall River’s ranking when considering both violent and property crimes? #11

5. Springfield, MA Population: 154,518

Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents

Violent Crimes: 10.39 per 1,000 residents

Property Crimes: 45.46 per 1,000 residents

Total Reported Crimes: 55.85 per 1,000 residents Springfield has a crime rate of about 56 per one thousand residents. Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Springfield? One in 18. Springfield’s ranking when considering both violent and property crimes? #3

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