Area IV is a neighborhood of 7,360 residents in Cambridge, close to downtown · Updated November 2026
Is Area IV in Cambridge safe?
Crime in Area IV is moderate, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of B+. Most US neighborhoods have little crime: 63% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than Area IV. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, A- against B. Cambridge as a whole grades A-. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A- to B; see the map below.
B+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 760 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
37% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Area IV as a whole, and 63% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Area IV scores 760.
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 Area IV, Cambridge, MA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Area IV in Cambridge, 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 Area IV
Thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks far more often than nationally. In Cambridge as a whole, 64% of reported thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks, against 18% nationally.
Thefts run high. Area IV has thefts at about triple the US rate: 37.1 a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
Crime rates and types in Area IV
CrimeGrade™ estimates Area IV has about 66 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 77% more than the US as a whole and 50% more than Cambridge as a whole.
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.
Theft makes up about 57% of crime reported in Area IV. Assault is less common but costs more, because each one does more harm.
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.
Where and when crime happens in Cambridge
The Cambridge Police Department polices Area IV; these figures cover Cambridge as a whole, 2022 to 2024.
In Cambridge as a whole, 67% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (67%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Streets and sidewalks (54%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Theft from cars
Streets and sidewalks (64%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Vandalism
Streets and sidewalks (32%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Robbery
Streets and sidewalks (49%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assault
Streets and sidewalks (38%)
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.
How Area IV compares with nearby neighborhoods
Area IV has less crime than 5 of its 10 nearest neighborhoods.
Two things set Area IV apart: it has a Walk Grade of A+ (95 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole, and 202 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report more theft and assault, and they run 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 and assault. 100% of residents here live in walkable areas.A+ (95 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 97% of residents of US city neighborhoods
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.202 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 96% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.98% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 89% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Show all 4
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft and car theft.18.1 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 86% of residents of US city neighborhoods
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 Area IV
Crime costs Area IV about $1,463 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 21% more 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 $11 million a year, or $1,465 per resident.
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 Area IV 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. Area IV is a good example: many people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks worse than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
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
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 Area IV, Cambridge, MA average a SchoolGrade of A-: 48% of students test proficient, against 39% projected for schools like them. Overall, they greatly exceed expectations. See schools in Area IV on SchoolGrade
