The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Waltham, MA
Waltham is a city of 64,900 in Middlesex County, about 9 miles west of downtown Boston · Updated November 2026
Is Waltham, MA safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Waltham has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A, safer than the neighborhoods where 65% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A here. 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 896 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
65% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Waltham as a whole, and 35% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Waltham scores 896.
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 Waltham, MA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Waltham, 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 Waltham
One part of Waltham stands out for theft. Thefts in Warrendale & Bleachery, in east Waltham, run at more than double the rate in the rest of the city.
Car thefts are uncommon. Waltham has car thefts at a small fraction of the US rate: 0.58 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 nationally.
How neighborhoods in Waltham compare
Every part of Waltham where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Waltham run from A+ to A-; 69% 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.
1North Waltham & Piety Corner, northeastAggravated assaults run at about half the rate in the rest of Waltham.A+934
2Brandeis, Angleside & Cedarwoods, southwestThefts run about 40% lower here than in the rest of Waltham.A923
3Lakeview & The Lanes, northThefts run about 40% higher here than in the rest of Waltham.A908
4Waltham Highlands & West End, westThefts run about 40% higher here than in the rest of Waltham.A864
5Warrendale & Bleachery, eastSimple assaults run about 40% higher here than in the rest of Waltham.A853
6South Side, southThefts run at about double the rate in the rest of Waltham.A-827
7Bank Square, centralThefts run at more than double the rate in the rest of Waltham.A-804
Neighborhood areas of Waltham, 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.
Is crime going up in Waltham?
Since 2019, reported violent crime in Waltham is up 53% and property crime is down 15%. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 1.6 to 2.5 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 8.2 to 7.0 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime fell 15%.
Violent crime, change since 2019
Property crime, change since 2019
WalthamUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Waltham. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Violent, Waltham
Violent, US
Property, Waltham
Property, US
2016
-4%
+4%
+33%
+15%
2017
-4%
+4%
+18%
+12%
2018
+14%
+0%
+10%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
+0%
+0%
2020
-19%
+4%
-27%
-8%
2021
-28%
+6%
-38%
-10%
2022
+4%
+5%
-24%
-6%
2023
+50%
+2%
+0%
-7%
2024
+53%
-4%
-15%
-15%
Crime rates and types in Waltham
CrimeGrade™ estimates Waltham has about 18 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 51% less than the US as a whole and 32% 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 Waltham is assault, about 43% 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 Waltham
Waltham has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Waltham, 55% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often in parking lots and garages: 39% of them, against 31% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (55%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (38%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from cars
Parking lots and garages (39%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Vandalism
Homes (36%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Aggravated assault
Homes (62%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How Waltham compares with nearby cities
Of the 9 cities closest to Waltham, 7 have less crime. Waban and Weston have the least.
Two things set Waltham apart: it has 106 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole, and a Walk Grade of C+ (43 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. 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, yet theft and robbery run lower here than that would suggest.
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.106 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 97% 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.C+ (43 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 89% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.55% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 86% of US city residents
Show all 6
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 Waltham: D+ (22 of 100).8 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 80% 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 74% 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.4.3% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 70% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Waltham 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 Waltham
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Waltham about $532 a year per household, 56% 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 $42 million a year, or $644 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$1.1 million
$17
Rape
$760,000
$12
Robbery
$480,000
$7
Assault
$6.6 million
$101
Burglary
$750,000
$12
Theft
$1.8 million
$28
Vehicle theft
$580,000
$9
Arson
$100,000
$2
Vandalism
$1.1 million
$17
Total
$13 million
$206
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 Waltham 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 Waltham, MA average a SchoolGrade of C: 42% of students test proficient, against 46% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Waltham on SchoolGrade
