Three Massachusetts Cities are Named Most Dangerous in the State

Massachusetts is a great state to not only visit but to live in. I love the fact that nothing is really that far away and there are so many options including taking in a Red Sox game in Boston, exploring Mass Moca in North Adams, touring the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, hiking Mount Greylock in Adams, visiting one of the many spooky attractions in Salem, catching a concert at Tanglewood in Lenox and the list of attractions goes on and on. In addition, Massachusetts is one of the safest states in America which you can read more about by going here.

Though Massachusetts is one of the safest states in America, as is the case with many if not all states, there are some cities in the BaySate that are safer than others. Looking at some recent data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and published by Population U.com, currently, these are the top three most dangerous cities in Massachusetts

#3 New Bedford

As published by Population U.com, in 2021 New Bedford had a population of 96,346. In 2019, the city had 628 violent crimes. That number increased to 2,771 in 2020 and then it increased again to 2,879 in 2021. This puts New Bedford's crime rate at 29.88 per 1,000 persons.

#2 North Adams

As published by Population U.com, in 2021 North Adams had a population of 12,638. In 2019, the city had 72 violent crimes. That number increased to 302 in 2020 and then it increased again to 378 in 2021. This puts North Adams' crime rate at 29.91 per 1,000 persons.

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I would like to add my two cents on this particular data, I lived in North Adams for 16 years and I never once felt unsafe. I'm sure people would say that times have changed and that's valid. I'm just sharing my experience of when I was a resident there. When I was a kid, I had some great times at Coury's Drive-In, I walked to school every day, and I even had my own paper route where I walked and delivered newspapers all on my own. I have some very fond memories of North Adams and I never came across any danger. If my current job was closer, I would have no hesitation in moving back to my hometown in the northern Berkshires.

#1 Springfield

The other two cities that round out the top five are Holyoke (#4) and Webster (#5). We have included 6-10 below.

#6 Haverhill

#7 Fall River

#8 Chelsea

#9 Boston

#10 Chicopee

You can see where your city ranks and check out the entire list by going here.

The Takeaway

As I mentioned earlier with North Adams, data is data, not everybody is going to experience danger in any of the cities that are listed here. In addition, there are many people that live in safe areas of these cities who have raised families and are very successful. It's always a good idea to keep this in mind when looking at the numbers.

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