The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in South Boston, Boston, MA: Crime Maps and Statistics

C+

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	D+
Property Crime Grade	B
Other Crime Grade	C

Which crimes are included?

$11.3 million

Cost of Crime™ for South Boston, Boston, MA

In 2025, crime will cost $922 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of South Boston with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is South Boston, Boston, MA Safe?

The C+ overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US neighborhood, where South Boston's combined rate is about the same as the norm. South Boston sits in the 50th percentile, ahead of 50% of neighborhoods and behind 50%. The grade covers only South Boston's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby neighborhoods.

The overall crime rate in South Boston is 36.53 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the southeast part of the neighborhood the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 22 in the north areas to 1 in 38 in the southeast.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the north parts of South Boston, Boston, MA report the most crime, about 185 cases per year. The northwest part reports the fewest, around 0 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in South Boston, Boston, MA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in South Boston for 2025 is $11,328,322, about $495 per resident and $922 per household. That equals 0.4% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 57.5%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 30.9%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.5%

How Much Does Crime Cost in South Boston Compared to Other Neighborhoods?

South Boston, Boston, MA:	$495
Central, Boston, MA:	$654
Whittenton, Taunton, MA:	$197
Massachusetts:	$274
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in South Boston is $495 per year, which is $31 more than the national average and $221 more than Boston's city average. The comparison below uses neighborhoods similar to South Boston:

In Central, Boston, MA, crime costs $654 per person, which is $159 more than in South Boston.
In Whittenton, Taunton, MA, crime costs $197 per person, which is $298 less than in South Boston

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of South Boston for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to South Boston	Cost per South Boston Resident
Murder	$1.89 million	$82
Rape/Sexual Assault	$707,035	$31
Robbery	$441,252	$19
Assault	$3.72 million	$163
Kidnapping	$110,000	$5
Vehicle Theft	$387,533	$17
Burglary	$335,656	$15
Theft	$1.84 million	$81
Arson	$33,133	$1
Vandalism	$1.51 million	$66
Animal Cruelty	$4,331	$0
Drug Crimes	$228,774	$10
Identity Theft	$120,861	$5
Total Cost of Crime	$11,328,322	$495

The Intangible Cost of Crime in South Boston, Boston, MA

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in South Boston totals $17,076,080 ($746 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $28,404,402 ($1,241 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The northeast part of the neighborhood holds more retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which South Boston has 10, do the same, and of South Boston's 22,881 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in South Boston, Boston, MA at ISP Reports.

South Boston Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 South Boston residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	5.661
Robbery	0.6131
Rape	0.5096
Murder	0.0439
Total Violent Crime	6.827 (D+)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	15.55
Vehicle Theft	1.094
Burglary	1.617
Arson	0.0600
Total Property Crime	18.32 (B)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.0793
Drug Crimes	1.352
Vandalism	9.243
Identity Theft	0.6824
Animal Cruelty	0.0256
Total "Other" Rate	11.38 (C)

Individual South Boston Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Neighborhoods

Compared to surrounding neighborhoods, the rate of crime in South Boston is lower. The table below shows Crime Grades for neighborhoods close to South Boston.

Nearby Neighborhood	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Dorchester Heights, Boston, MA	B	C+	A-
South End, Boston, MA	B-	D+	B+
Central, Boston, MA	D+	D-	C-
North Dorchester, Boston, MA	C+	D+	B
Downtown Crossing, Boston, MA	D	F	D
Back Bay, Boston, MA	D+	D	C-
Nubian Square, Boston, MA	C	D-	C+
Dock Square, Boston, MA	C+	D	B
Gove Street, Boston, MA	C+	C-	B
Roxbury, Boston, MA	B-	D+	B+

Crime Maps and Rates for Neighborhood with Similar Populations

South Boston is similar versus other neighborhoods of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in neighborhoods with comparable overall population in the neighborhood‘s boundaries.

Similar Neighborhood	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Westside, Santa Cruz, CA	B-	C	C
Cully, Portland, OR	D-	C	C
Deep Creek North, Chesapeake, VA	C+	B	B
Drnag, San Bernardino, CA	C+	C	C
Eads-Fisherville, Cordova, TN	B+	C+	C+
East Arlington, Jacksonville, FL	A+	A+	A+
East Central, Pasadena, CA	C+	C+	C+
Wicker Park, Chicago, IL	D	C	C
Whiskey Point, Chicago, IL	C	C	C
Au-Tenleytown, Washington, DC	C-	B-	B-

Considering only the crime rate, South Boston is less safe than the Massachusetts state average and less safe than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in South Boston, Boston, MA average SchoolGrade of F, with 19% actual proficiency versus 29% projected; overall, schools underperform expectations. See South Boston schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.