The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Chestnut Hill, MA
Chestnut Hill is a community of 19,700 in Norfolk County, about 6 miles southwest of downtown Boston · Updated November 2026
Is Chestnut Hill, MA safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Chestnut Hill: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 89% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Every neighborhood in Chestnut Hill grades A+.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 958 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
89% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Chestnut Hill as a whole, and 11% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Chestnut Hill scores 958.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Chestnut Hill, MA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Chestnut Hill, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out in Chestnut Hill
Simple assaults and acts of vandalism both run low. In Chestnut Hill, each runs at a small fraction of the US rate: 1.8 simple assaults and 1.2 acts of vandalism a year per 1,000 residents, against 9.7 and 5.5 nationally.
How neighborhoods in Chestnut Hill compare
Every part of Chestnut Hill where people live grades A or B on the national scale.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Thompsonville, westThefts run at a small fraction of the rate in the rest of Chestnut Hill.A+971
2Oak Hill, southwestClose to the rest of Chestnut Hill on most crimes.A+952
3Allston-Brighton, northwestThefts run about 30% lower here than in the rest of Chestnut Hill.A+950
Neighborhood areas of Chestnut Hill, ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer). Each one combines several of the smaller areas on the map.
Crime rates and types in Chestnut Hill
CrimeGrade™ estimates Chestnut Hill has about 9.8 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 74% less than the US as a whole and 63% less than Massachusetts.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
The largest share of crime reported in Chestnut Hill is theft, about 56% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
How Chestnut Hill compares with nearby cities
Chestnut Hill has the least crime of its 10 nearest cities.
Night lighting, transit and walkability in Chestnut Hill
Two things set Chestnut Hill apart: it has 19 buses and trains an hour at the evening rush, where most Americans have none nearby, and 0.6 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery, yet theft runs lower here than that would suggest.
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.100% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 92% of US city residents
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Chestnut Hill: C- (25 of 100).19 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 91% of US city residents
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft and assault. 52% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.C (34 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 84% of US city residents
Show all 6
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.0.6 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 88% of US city residents
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.4.0% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 74% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.36% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 73% of US city residents
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What crime costs Chestnut Hill
Crime costs Chestnut Hill about $280 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 77% less than the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $3.9 million a year, or $199 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$130,000
$7
Rape
$80,000
$4
Robbery
$44,000
$2
Aggravated assault
$240,000
$12
Simple assault
$260,000
$13
Burglary
$95,000
$5
Theft
$550,000
$28
Vehicle theft
$63,000
$3
Arson
$5,500
under $1
Vandalism
$170,000
$9
Total
$1.6 million
$83
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Chestnut Hill means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
Schools in Chestnut Hill, MA average a SchoolGrade of A: 59% of students test proficient, against 59% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Chestnut Hill on SchoolGrade
