Crime in Northbridge, MA

Northbridge is a town of 5,390 in Worcester County, about 11 miles southeast of downtown Worcester · Updated November 2026

Is Northbridge, MA safe?

Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Northbridge: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 85% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Every neighborhood in Northbridge grades A+.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 948 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

85% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Northbridge as a whole, and 15% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Northbridge scores 948.

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.

A+
Violent crimeSafety score 954 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 937 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Northbridge

Map of Northbridge shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

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 Northbridge, MA at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Northbridge, 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 Northbridge

Crime per resident runs lower than the grade suggests. Few people come to Northbridge to work or shop: it has only 14 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. With few visitors, its crime per resident looks lower than its CrimeGrade™ suggests. The CrimeGrade™ weighs each crime against the people, homes and parked cars actually here.


Crime rates and types in Northbridge

CrimeGrade™ estimates Northbridge has about 7.4 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 80% less than the US as a whole and 72% 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 Northbridge is assault, about 33% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 1under 0.010.05
RapeAunder 10.140.38
RobberyA+under 10.040.62
AssaultA132.412.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+30.572.4
TheftA+91.713.1
Vehicle theftA+under 10.142.7
ArsonA+under 10.040.12
VandalismA132.45.5

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 Northbridge

Northbridge has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
VandalismHomes (46%)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 Northbridge compares with nearby cities

Northbridge has less crime than 5 of its 9 nearest cities.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
NorthbridgeA+948A+A+5,390
South Grafton 2 milesA+945A+A+5,580
Whitinsville 2 milesA+937A+A+9,510
Linwood 3 milesA+954A+A+1,300
Worcester 11 milesB-551C+B207,100
Show all 9
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Upton 3 milesA+956A+A+7,700
Grafton 4 milesA+965A+A+8,360
Sutton 4 milesA+947A+A+9,430
Uxbridge 6 milesA+938A+A+14,000
North Grafton 6 milesA+952A+A+6,740

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Northbridge. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Northbridge is safer than 88% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
NorthbridgeA+948A+A+5,390
North Plains, ORA+951A+A+5,380
West Point, NYA+947A+A5,420
Guilderland, NYA+929A+A5,420
Boardman, ORA+924A+A5,370
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Paintsville, KYA920A+A5,380
Highland Falls, NYA908A+A5,380
Springfield, MIA854A-A+5,400
Brisbane, CAA-810A-A-5,410
Cheltenham, PAB654A-C-5,380
Scottdale, GAF0FC-5,370

Shops, night lighting and walkability in Northbridge

Two things set Northbridge apart: it has 3.2 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 20% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally. Places like that tend to report less theft.

Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.3.2 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower 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.20% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 95% 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. 99% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (5 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 90% of US city residents
Show all 6
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.14 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 94% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.0.7 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 86% 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.4.7% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 64% of US city residents

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Northbridge 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 Northbridge

Crime costs Northbridge about $222 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 82% 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 $1.2 million a year, or $225 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$35,000$7
Rape$45,000$8
Robbery$6,300$1
Assault$150,000$29
Burglary$27,000$5
Theft$48,000$9
Vehicle theft$11,000$2
Arson$4,600$1
Vandalism$90,000$17
Total$420,000$78

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 Northbridge 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
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • 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.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Northbridge

Schools in Northbridge, MA average a SchoolGrade of C-: 37% of students test proficient, against 41% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in Northbridge on SchoolGrade