The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Woonsocket, RI

Woonsocket is the sixth-largest city in Rhode Island, with 43,200 residents in Providence County, about 13 miles north of downtown Providence · Updated November 2026

Is Woonsocket, RI safe?

With an overall CrimeGrade™ of B, Woonsocket has moderate crime by national standards. Most US neighborhoods have less: 71% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime. Violent crime grades B and property crime B+. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Woonsocket run from A to C-, so check the map or the safest and least safe neighborhoods below.

B
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 680 of 1,000
Less safe than most US neighborhoods What this means

29% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Woonsocket as a whole, and 71% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Woonsocket scores 680.

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.

B
Violent crimeSafety score 669 of 1,000More violent crime than most US neighborhoods
B+
Property crimeSafety score 699 of 1,000More property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Woonsocket

Map of Woonsocket 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 Woonsocket, RI at ISP Reports.

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

One part of Woonsocket stands out for vehicle theft. Car thefts in Hamlet, in central Woonsocket, run at more than double the rate in the rest of the city.

Burglaries happen at homes more often than nationally. In Woonsocket, 82% of reported burglaries happen at homes, against 57% nationally.


The safest and most dangerous neighborhoods in Woonsocket

Low crime is the norm across Woonsocket: 65% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and the rest in areas graded C. Grades across Woonsocket run from A to C-; 10% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.

A or B 65%C 35%

Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.

  1. 1Bernon Heights, southClose to the rest of Woonsocket on most crimes.B+716
  2. 2Globe, southwestThefts run about 60% higher here than in the rest of Woonsocket.B673
  3. 3Social, northCar thefts run about 80% higher here than in the rest of Woonsocket.B-575
  4. 4Hamlet, centralAggravated assaults run about 70% higher here than in the rest of Woonsocket.C+493

Neighborhood areas of Woonsocket, 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 Woonsocket?

Reported crime in Woonsocket has fallen since 2019: violent crime is down 34% and property crime down 29%. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 5.8 to 3.8 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 21 to 15 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, violent crime fell 10%.

Violent crime, change since 2019

Property crime, change since 2019

WoonsocketUnited States

Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Woonsocket. The charts follow crimes per resident.

Data table
YearViolent, WoonsocketViolent, USProperty, WoonsocketProperty, US
2016-8%+4%+21%+15%
2017-8%+4%+9%+12%
2018+3%+0%+4%+4%
2019+0%+0%+0%+0%
2020-16%+4%-16%-8%
2021-7%+6%-16%-10%
2022-23%+5%-15%-6%
2023-26%+2%-25%-7%
2024-34%-4%-29%-15%

Crime rates and types in Woonsocket

CrimeGrade™ estimates Woonsocket has about 40 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 6% more than the US as a whole and 69% more than Rhode Island.

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 Woonsocket is assault, about 39% 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-10.030.05
RapeC+260.610.38
RobberyB340.800.62
AssaultB-66915.512.3
Property crime
BurglaryA-811.92.4
TheftB49511.513.1
Vehicle theftA-821.92.7
ArsonC+150.340.12
VandalismB3037.05.5

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 Woonsocket

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

Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 51% of them, against 34% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (82%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theftHomes (44%)Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from carsHomes (51%)Morning (6 am to noon)
VandalismHomes (53%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
RobberyStores and businesses (44%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assaultHomes (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 Woonsocket compares with nearby cities

Woonsocket has the most crime of its 8 nearest cities.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
WoonsocketB680BB+43,200
Blackstone, MA 2 milesA923AA+9,420
North Smithfield 3 milesA+924A+A12,200
Manville 3 milesA893AA-3,500
Providence 13 milesB683B+B206,600
Show all 8
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Cumberland Hill 3 milesA+940A+A8,640
Millville, MA 4 milesA+947A+A+3,400
Bellingham, MA 5 milesA909AA17,000
Cumberland 5 milesA+950A+A+16,000

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

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Woonsocket has more crime than 50% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
WoonsocketB680BB+43,200
Brighton, MAA-820AB+44,500
Elmont, NYA-815A-B+44,000
San Bruno, CAA-796AB42,000
Bloomfield, NJB+760AB-42,900
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Burlington, VTB+702A-C+43,400
Hallandale Beach, FLB643BB41,900
Stanton, CAB-571BC+43,300
University, FLB-551CA-43,000
Coachella, CAC+504CB-44,100
Hamtramck, MID+294DC44,000

Walkability, density and empty homes in Woonsocket

Two things set Woonsocket apart: it has a Walk Grade of C (38 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole, and 56% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places like that tend to report more theft and assault, and they run high 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.C (38 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 87% 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.56% of residentsUS: 24%Higher 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.9.0% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 79% 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.8.1 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 72% 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 72% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.32 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 67% of US city residents

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

Crime costs Woonsocket about $1,069 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 11% 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 $58 million a year, or $1,347 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$2.7 million$61
Rape$1.6 million$37
Robbery$1.1 million$25
Assault$7.2 million$166
Burglary$730,000$17
Theft$2.5 million$59
Vehicle theft$1.3 million$29
Arson$350,000$8
Vandalism$2.1 million$50
Total$20 million$452

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 Woonsocket 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 Woonsocket

Schools in Woonsocket, RI average a SchoolGrade of C-: 30% of students test proficient, against 34% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Woonsocket on SchoolGrade