The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Norfolk, MA
Norfolk is a town of 11,900 in Norfolk County, about 20 miles southwest of downtown Boston · Updated November 2026
Is Norfolk, MA safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Norfolk: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 84% of Americans live. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, A+ against A. Every neighborhood in Norfolk grades A+.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 946 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
84% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Norfolk as a whole, and 16% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Norfolk scores 946.
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 Norfolk, MA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Norfolk, 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 Norfolk
Thefts are uncommon. Norfolk has thefts at a small fraction of the US rate: 2.3 a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Norfolk
Every part of Norfolk where people live grades A or B on the national scale.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Within Norfolk, the south side has the least crime and the center the most.
Crime rates and types in Norfolk
CrimeGrade™ estimates Norfolk has about 8.6 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 77% less than the US as a whole and 68% 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.
Theft is the most common crime in Norfolk, about 26% 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 Norfolk
Norfolk has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Vandalism
Homes (47%)
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 Norfolk compares with nearby cities
Norfolk has less crime than 5 of its 8 nearest cities.
Walkability, empty homes and night lighting in Norfolk
Two things set Norfolk apart: it has a Walk Grade of F (1 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole, and 1.7% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places like that tend to report less theft and assault, and they run low 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 car-dependent areas.F (1 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 98% 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.1.7% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 97% 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.21% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 95% of US city residents
Show all 6
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.5.1 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 91% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.28 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 75% 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 Norfolk: F (1 of 100).4 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 67% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Norfolk 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 crime costs Norfolk
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Norfolk about $306 a year per household, 75% 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 $3.1 million a year, or $260 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$91,000
$8
Rape
$70,000
$6
Robbery
$14,000
$1
Assault
$350,000
$30
Burglary
$160,000
$13
Theft
$140,000
$12
Vehicle theft
$71,000
$6
Arson
$17,000
$1
Vandalism
$190,000
$16
Total
$1.1 million
$93
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 Norfolk 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. Norfolk is the other kind of example: few people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks lower 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
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 Norfolk, MA average a SchoolGrade of A+: 61% of students test proficient, against 59% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Norfolk on SchoolGrade
