The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Brookline, MA
Brookline is a town of 52,300 in Norfolk County, about 4 miles southwest of downtown Boston · Updated November 2026
Is Brookline, MA safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Brookline: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A, safer than the neighborhoods where 64% of Americans live. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, A+ against A-. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map and the safest and least safe neighborhoods below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 892 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
64% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Brookline as a whole, and 36% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Brookline scores 892.
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 Brookline, MA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Brookline, 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 Brookline
Aggravated assaults and burglaries both run low. In Brookline, each runs at less than half the US rate: 0.97 aggravated assaults and 1.0 burglaries a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.6 and 2.4 nationally.
Thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks far more often than nationally. In Brookline, 39% of reported thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks, against 18% nationally.
How neighborhoods in Brookline compare
Every part of Brookline where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Brookline run from A+ to A-; 82% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Brookline Village, southeastThefts run about 40% lower here than in the rest of Brookline.A909
Neighborhood areas of Brookline, 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 Brookline
CrimeGrade™ estimates Brookline has about 17 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 55% less than the US as a whole and 37% 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 Brookline is theft, about 57% 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.
Where and when crime happens in Brookline
Brookline has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Brookline, 15% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Other places (82%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Car theft
Other places (61%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Other places (56%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Vandalism
Other places (72%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assault
Homes (39%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How Brookline compares with nearby cities
Brookline has less crime than 7 of its 9 nearest cities; only Chestnut Hill and Newton Center have less.
Parking lots, walkability and transit in Brookline
Two things set Brookline apart: it has 0.2 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally, and a Walk Grade of A- (79 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. Places with little parking-lot space tend to report less theft, yet theft runs higher here than that would suggest.
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 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 and assault. 79% of residents here live in walkable areas.A- (79 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 98% 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 Brookline: C (40 of 100).37 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 95% of US city residents
Show all 6
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.89% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 95% 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
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.3.1% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 85% 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 Brookline
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Brookline about $320 a year per household, 73% 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 $18 million a year, or $337 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$340,000
$6
Rape
$270,000
$5
Robbery
$320,000
$6
Assault
$2.3 million
$45
Burglary
$480,000
$9
Theft
$2.6 million
$50
Vehicle theft
$270,000
$5
Arson
$18,000
under $1
Vandalism
$840,000
$16
Total
$7.5 million
$143
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 Brookline 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 Brookline, MA average a SchoolGrade of B: 49% of students test proficient, against 50% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Brookline on SchoolGrade
