Lowell is the fifth-largest city in Massachusetts, with 118,400 residents in Middlesex County, about 25 miles northwest of downtown Boston · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Lowell?
Property crime is high in Lowell: a B, with more property crime than the neighborhoods where 72% of Americans live. Theft makes up 56% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades A-, and vehicle theft grades B-.
B
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 621 of 1,000More property crime than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
28% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Lowell as a whole, and 72% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Lowell scores 621.
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 Lowell, MA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Lowell, 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 Lowell
Car thefts happen on streets and sidewalks far more often than nationally. In Lowell, 61% of reported car thefts happen on streets and sidewalks, against 27% nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in Lowell
Property crime changes a lot from one part of Lowell to the next: 43% of residents live in areas graded A or B, while 26% live in areas graded D or F. Property crime grades across Lowell run from A to F.
43%31%26%
A or B 43%C 31%D or F 26%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1South Lowell, southeastCar thefts run about 40% lower here than in the rest of Lowell.B+716
2Pawtucketville, northwestActs of vandalism run about 40% lower here than in the rest of Lowell.B672
3Highlands, southwestClose to the rest of Lowell on most crimes.B640
4Belvidere, eastClose to the rest of Lowell on most crimes.B-603
5The Acre, northCar thefts run about 40% higher here than in the rest of Lowell.B-583
6Centralville, northeastThefts run about 60% higher here than in the rest of Lowell.B-552
7Back Central & Downtown Lowell, centralCar thefts run about 60% higher here than in the rest of Lowell.C+513
Neighborhood areas of Lowell, 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.
Is property crime going up in Lowell?
Reported property crime in Lowell has held about steady since 2019, within 7%. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 15 to 16 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime fell 11%.
Property crime, change since 2019
LowellUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Lowell. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, Lowell
Property, US
2016
+32%
+15%
2017
+31%
+12%
2018
+3%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
-6%
-8%
2021
-14%
-10%
2022
+11%
-6%
2023
+20%
-7%
2024
+7%
-15%
Property crime rates and types in Lowell
CrimeGrade™ estimates Lowell has about 23 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, about the same as the US as a whole and 45% more 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 Lowell, about 56% of the total, followed by vandalism and vehicle theft.
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.
Where and when property crime happens in Lowell
Lowell has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Lowell, 51% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (51%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Car theft
Streets and sidewalks (61%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Streets and sidewalks (49%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Streets and sidewalks (31%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
Property crime in Lowell and nearby cities
Lowell has more property crime than 8 of its 9 nearest cities. Billerica and North Billerica have the least property crime nearby.
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set Lowell apart: it has a Walk Grade of B- (48 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole, and 72% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places like that tend to report more theft, and it runs high here.
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.B- (48 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 91% 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.72% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 91% of US city residents
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 89% of US city residents
Show all 6
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.3.4% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 82% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.7.3 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 79% 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 Lowell: C- (26 of 100).6 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 75% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Lowell on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.
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 Lowell
Property crime costs Lowell about $19 million a year, or $158 per resident and about $456 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
$1.6 million
$13
Theft
$7.9 million
$67
Vehicle theft
$3.6 million
$31
Arson
$270,000
$2
Vandalism
$5.4 million
$46
Total
$19 million
$158
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.
