MIT is a neighborhood of 5,830 residents in Cambridge, close to downtown · Updated November 2026
Is MIT in Cambridge safe?
Yes, crime in MIT is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A-. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, MIT sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 47% of Americans live. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, A against B+. Cambridge as a whole grades A-.
A-
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 824 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
47% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than MIT as a whole, and 53% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. MIT scores 824.
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.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in MIT 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 MIT
Aggravated assault is the exception. MIT grades A for violent crime, but aggravated assault grades B+, worse than in the neighborhoods where 71% of Americans live.
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.
Crime rates and types in MIT
CrimeGrade™ estimates MIT has about 58 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 55% more than the US as a whole and 32% 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 is the most common crime in MIT, about 57% of everything reported, but assault 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 MIT; 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 MIT compares with nearby neighborhoods
MIT has less crime than 8 of its 10 nearest neighborhoods; only North Brookline and East Cambridge have less.
Two things set MIT apart: it has 487 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole, and 1.0 bars and nightlife spots for every 1,000 residents, against 0.6 nationally. It also combines many jobs with busy transit: places with both tend to report more theft and robbery than places with only one of them; here theft sits near the national middle.
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.487 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 99% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Bars and nightlifeBars, lounges, clubs and casinos. Places with more bars tend to report more assault and robbery.1.0 per 1,000 residentsUS: 0.6Higher than for 81% of residents of US city neighborhoods
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. 55% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.C+ (40 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 57% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Show all 4
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 MIT: C- (30 of 100).35 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 81% 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 MIT
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs MIT about $5,006 a year per household, more than triple 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 $8.2 million a year, or $1,413 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 MIT 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. MIT 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 MIT, Cambridge, MA average a SchoolGrade of B+: 50% of students test proficient, against 43% projected for schools like them. Overall, they greatly exceed expectations. See schools in MIT on SchoolGrade
