Chestnut Hill is a community of 19,700 in Norfolk County, about 6 miles southwest of downtown Boston · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Chestnut Hill?
Property crime is low in Chestnut Hill: an A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 80% of Americans live. Theft makes up 73% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades A+, and vehicle theft grades A+.
A+
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 934 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
80% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Chestnut Hill as a whole, and 20% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Chestnut Hill scores 934.
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 property crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its property crime with the homes, parked cars and people there, on one national scale, from green for the least 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 about property crime in Chestnut Hill
Thefts are uncommon. Chestnut Hill has thefts at less than half the US rate: 5.4 a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in Chestnut Hill
Every part of Chestnut Hill where people live grades A or B for property crime on the national scale. Property crime grades across Chestnut Hill run from A+ to A.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Thompsonville, westThefts run at a small fraction of the rate in the rest of Chestnut Hill.A+950
2Allston-Brighton, northwestThefts run about 30% lower here than in the rest of Chestnut Hill.A916
3Oak Hill, southwestClose to the rest of Chestnut Hill on most crimes.A914
Neighborhood areas of Chestnut Hill, ranked by property crime 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.
Property crime rates and types in Chestnut Hill
CrimeGrade™ estimates Chestnut Hill has about 7.4 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 69% less than the US as a whole and 53% less than Massachusetts.
All property crime
Burglary
Vehicle theft
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Property crime here includes vandalism, which the FBI's property crime rate leaves out.
Theft is the most common property crime in Chestnut Hill, about 73% of the total, followed by vandalism and burglary.
Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a property crime with what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for vehicle theft, people and parking for theft, homes and businesses for vandalism. 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.
Property crime in Chestnut Hill and nearby cities
Chestnut Hill has the least property crime of its 10 nearest cities.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Chestnut Hill. Beside each property crime CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with cities of similar size and density, Chestnut Hill is safer than 92% of them.
Night lighting, transit and walkability in Chestnut Hill
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two 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, 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. 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. 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 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 property crime costs Chestnut Hill
Property crime costs Chestnut Hill about $880,000 a year, or $45 per resident and about $151 per household: the value of what is stolen or damaged, plus the police, courts and prisons that respond.
Cost of property crime per resident, per year
How the cost breaks down
Pain and suffering add little to the cost of property crime, so this is close to its full cost.
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Burglary
$95,000
$5
Theft
$550,000
$28
Vehicle theft
$63,000
$3
Arson
$5,500
under $1
Vandalism
$170,000
$9
Total
$880,000
$45
How CrimeGrade™ works
The property crime CrimeGrade™ covers burglary, theft, car theft, arson and vandalism, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.
It weighs each property crime against what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for car theft, and the people and parking around stores for theft.
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.
