Somerville is a city of 84,600 in Middlesex County, about 3 miles northwest of downtown Boston · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Somerville?
Property crime is high in Somerville: a B, with more property crime than the neighborhoods where 72% of Americans live. Theft makes up 69% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades A-, and vehicle theft grades C.
B
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 620 of 1,000More property crime than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
28% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Somerville 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-. Somerville scores 620.
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 Somerville, MA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Somerville, 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 Somerville
Car thefts run high in Spring Hill & Winter Hill. In this part of central Somerville, they run at about double the rate in the rest of Somerville.
Thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks far more often than nationally. In Somerville, 60% of reported thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks, against 18% nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in Somerville
Areas graded C for property crime are home to 55% of residents in Somerville; 30% live in areas graded A or B and 15% in areas graded D or F. Property crime grades across Somerville run from A to F.
30%55%15%
A or B 30%C 55%D or F 15%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Ten Hills, East Somerville & Mystic River, eastCar thefts run at less than half the rate in the rest of Somerville.B+755
2Prospect Hill & Inner Belt, southeastActs of vandalism run about 30% higher here than in the rest of Somerville.B628
4North Cambridge, westThefts run about 30% higher here than in the rest of Somerville.B-540
5Union Square, southCar thefts run about 60% higher here than in the rest of Somerville.C+520
6Spring Hill & Winter Hill, centralThefts run about 70% higher here than in the rest of Somerville.C415
Neighborhood areas of Somerville, 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 Somerville?
Reported property crime in Somerville has risen 34% since 2019. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 13 to 17 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime rose 21%.
Property crime, change since 2019
SomervilleUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Somerville. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, Somerville
Property, US
2016
+18%
+15%
2017
+5%
+12%
2018
-0%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
-5%
-8%
2021
-1%
-10%
2022
+8%
-6%
2023
+10%
-7%
2024
+34%
-15%
Property crime rates and types in Somerville
CrimeGrade™ estimates Somerville has about 20 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 17% less than the US as a whole and 24% 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 Somerville, about 69% 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.
The Somerville Police Department's 2024 report of burglary had a month far out of line with the rest, a sign of a data-entry error or a catch-up month, so CrimeGrade™ set it aside and used the other months.
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 Somerville
Somerville has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Somerville, 66% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Car thefts happen most often on streets and sidewalks: 54% of them, against 27% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (66%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Car theft
Streets and sidewalks (54%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Theft from cars
Streets and sidewalks (60%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Vandalism
Streets and sidewalks (35%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
Property crime in Somerville and nearby cities
Somerville has more property crime than 7 of its 9 nearest cities. Arlington and Belmont have the least property crime nearby.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Somerville. 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, Somerville is safer than 57% of them.
Density, walkability and parking lots in Somerville
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set Somerville apart: it has 98% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally, and a Walk Grade of A (83 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report more car theft, and it runs high here.
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more car theft.98% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 98% 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. 82% of residents here live in walkable areas.A (83 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 98% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.0.2 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 96% of US city residents
Show all 6
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Somerville: C+ (42 of 100).22 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 92% of US city residents
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
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.11.0 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 59% 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 Somerville
Property crime costs Somerville about $11 million a year, or $128 per resident and about $302 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
$1.4 million
$17
Theft
$5.9 million
$70
Vehicle theft
$1.7 million
$20
Arson
$44,000
$1
Vandalism
$1.8 million
$21
Total
$11 million
$128
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.
