Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Massachusetts?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
So we wanted to get the facts straight and dug into the FBI crime data in order to identify the places with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita in Massachusetts.
The result is the Murder Capitals of the Bay State for 2020:
- Springfield (Photos)
- Boston (Photos)
- Brockton (Photos)
- Lawrence (Photos)
- Pittsfield (Photos)
- Adams
- West Boylston
- Dartmouth
- Lowell (Photos)
- Sturbridge
The city with highest murder rate in Massachusetts? That would be Adams with 12.4 murders per 100,000 people.
While the city with highest number of murders period? Boston with 56.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. There were ‘only’ 34 cities in Massachusetts where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 204 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Bay State check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In Massachusetts
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Massachusetts
- 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Massachusetts
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Massachusetts For 2020
Springfield is a city in western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern Mill River. As of the 2010 Census, the city’s population was 153,060. Metropolitan Springfield, as one of two metropolitan areas in Massachusetts, had a population of 692,942 as of 2010.
Boston BOSS-tn) is the capital city and most populous municipality of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. It is also the seat of Suffolk County, although the county government was disbanded on July 1, 1999. The city proper covers 48 square miles with an estimated population of 673,184 in 2016, making it the largest city in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The city is the economic and cultural anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area known as Greater Boston, a metropolitan statistical area home to a census-estimated 4.8million people in 2016 and ranking as the tenth-largest such area in the country. As a combined statistical area, this wider commuting region is home to some 8.2million people, making it the sixth-largest in the United States.
Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 95,314 in the 2015 Census. Brockton, along with Plymouth, are the county seats of Plymouth County. Brockton is the seventh largest city in Massachusetts and is sometimes referred to as the “City of Champions”, due to the success of native boxers Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler, as well as its successful Brockton High School sports programs. Two of the villages within the city are Montello and Campello, both have the distinction of having their own MBTA Commuter Rail Stations and post offices. Campello is the smallest neighborhood in the city, but also the most populous. Brockton hosts a baseball team, the Brockton Rox. Brockton is one of the windiest cities in the United States, with an average wind speed of 14.3mph.
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 76,377, which had risen to an estimated 78,197 as of 2014. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. Lawrence and Salem are the county seats of Essex County. Lawrence is part of the Merrimack Valley.
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. The population was 44,737 at the 2010 census. Although the population has declined in recent decades, Pittsfield remains the third largest municipality in western Massachusetts, behind only Springfield and Chicopee.
/10
Population: 8,036
Rank Last Year: 56
Murders: 1 (23rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 12.4 (1st Most)
More on Adams: Data
Adams is a town in northern Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,485 at the 2010 census.
7. West Boylston
Population: 8,103
Rank Last Year: 167
Murders: 1 (23rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 12.3 (2nd Most)
More on West Boylston:
8. Dartmouth
Population: 34,322
Rank Last Year: 46
Murders: 2 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 5.8 (15th Most)
More on Dartmouth:
Lowell is a city in the U.S. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Located in Middlesex County, Lowell was a county seat until Massachusetts disbanded county government in 1999. With an estimated population of 109,945 in 2014, it is the fourth-largest city in Massachusetts, and the second-largest in the Boston metropolitan statistical area. The city is also part of a smaller Massachusetts statistical area called Greater Lowell, as well as New England’s Merrimack Valley region.
/10
Population: 9,626
Rank Last Year: 65
Murders: 1 (23rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 10.4 (4th Most)
More on Sturbridge: Data
How we calculated the murder capitals of Massachusetts
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report which summarizes the number of murders that may happen in each city per year.
We only looked every single city in Massachusetts for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 34 cities to rank.
Finally, we averaged the two scores into an index:
- The raw number of murders in each city
- The murders per person
We felt as if a small place with 2,500 people and two murders makes it a lot more dangerous than a city of 25,000 people with three murders. Any ties went to the larger city. You can download the data here.
We must note that this report is not an analysis of the effectiveness of local police departments. It simply states where murders occurred most frequently on an absolute and rate basis.
There You Have It – The Places With The Most Murders In Massachusetts For 2020
If you’re looking at the places in Massachusetts with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
For more massachusetts reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Massachusetts
- These Are The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Massachusetts
- 10 Safest Places In Massachusetts
- 10 Best Cities For Singles In Massachusetts
- 10 Worst Places To Live In Massachusetts
Detailed List Of The Places With The Most Murder In Massachusetts For 2020
Rank | City | Murders |
---|---|---|
1 | Springfield, MA | 19.0 |
2 | Boston, MA | 56.0 |
3 | Brockton, MA | 9.0 |
4 | Lawrence, MA | 5.0 |
5 | Pittsfield, MA | 3.0 |
6 | Adams, MA | 1.0 |
7 | West Boylston, MA | 1.0 |
8 | Dartmouth, MA | 2.0 |
9 | Lowell, MA | 4.0 |
10 | Sturbridge, MA | 1.0 |
11 | Fitchburg, MA | 2.0 |
12 | Ware, MA | 1.0 |
13 | Palmer, MA | 1.0 |
14 | North Adams, MA | 1.0 |
15 | Lynn, MA | 3.0 |
16 | New Bedford, MA | 3.0 |
17 | Auburn, MA | 1.0 |
18 | Worcester, MA | 4.0 |
19 | Southbridge, MA | 1.0 |
20 | Webster, MA | 1.0 |
21 | Haverhill, MA | 2.0 |
22 | Somerset, MA | 1.0 |
23 | Ludlow, MA | 1.0 |
24 | Winchester, MA | 1.0 |
25 | Yarmouth, MA | 1.0 |
26 | Acton, MA | 1.0 |
27 | Northampton, MA | 1.0 |
28 | Needham, MA | 1.0 |
29 | North Andover, MA | 1.0 |
30 | Holyoke, MA | 1.0 |
31 | Barnstable, MA | 1.0 |
32 | Everett, MA | 1.0 |
33 | Weymouth, MA | 1.0 |
34 | Fall River, MA | 1.0 |
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