New England is known for its sense of community where neighborhoods are close-knit and family-oriented. As idyllic as this sounds, New England is like any other area in the United States and experiences its share of crime. Here, we take a look at the crime stats for New England and what it means for you, your family, and your community.

Low crime rates

The good news is that the six New England states commonly rank in the top 10 safest cities across the city, says U.S. News. Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire regularly rank among the safest of the 50 states.

For 2024, the city of Boston saw only 24 homicides. In fact, law enforcement is now seeing numbers that haven’t been a reality since the 1950s, according to CBS News. Incidents of gunfire in Boston are also down 14%, and 37% over the last five years.

According to the U.S. News website via data from the FBI, New England states place high when it comes to public safety:

#1 New Hampshire
#2 Maine
#4 Rhode Island
#5 Connecticut
#8 Massachusetts
#13 Vermont

Low violent crime rates see Maine take the number one spot while New Hampshire comes in second. New Hampshire comes in second (after Idaho) for low property crime rate.

Vermont is the safest state in the country, says Wallethub.com who gave them a personal and residential safety rank of 6, a road safety rank of 4, and a financial safety rank of 1. New Hampshire came in second, followed by Maine in third, Massachusetts in fourth, Connecticut in seventh, and Rhode Island ninth for financial safety.

Areas of concern

New England clearly comes out on top when it comes to safety, but there are still areas to be cautious of. According to WOKQ, two New England cities made the top 100 list of “Most Dangerous Cities” in America for 2023. Data used to compile the list included violent crimes such as armed robbery, rape, and aggravated assault. Holyoke, Massachusetts came in at #87.

Holyoke has a violent crime rate of 9.6. Springfield, Massachusetts is the second New England city to make this list, coming in at #99. Their violent crime rate is 9.3. Your chance of being a victim in this city is 1 in 106. Three years prior, in 2020, Springfield ranked 69th on the list.

What about the other New England states?

• Maine’s most dangerous cities: Augusta, Lewiston, and Auburn (WOKQ)
• Connecticut’s most dangerous cities: New Haven, Derby, Waterbury (PropertyClub)
• New Hampshire’s most dangerous cities: Laconia, Conway, Manchester (Movoto)
• Rhode Island’s most dangerous cities: Woonsocket, Central Falls, Providence (Area Vibes)
• Vermont’s most dangerous cities: St. Albans, Brattleboro, Barre (Area Vibes)

Safest communities for families

If you’re looking for a safe family community, New England has plenty of options:

• Danville, NH: With a violent crime rate of 0.0 and property crime rate of 0.9 per 1,000 people in 2024, Danville could be considered the safest city in the state (Reolink)
• Ridgefield, CT: Population, 25, 030. Violent crime: 0.1, property crime: 2.0 (Safewise)
• Bristol, RI: Waterfront community with 0.5 incidents per 1,000 people for violent crime and 3.2 per 1,000 for property crime (Reolink)
• Cumberland, Maine: With 8,616 residents, the town of Cumberland saw their violent crime rate become zero by 2024 with a low property crime rate of 2.1 (Reolink)

It’s not without its own crime, but overall, New England can boast about being one of the safest areas in the country. Even with low crime rates, having a security system in place is wise to protect your family and your home in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Simple steps like fortifying your doors with deadbolts, investing in security cameras, and installing outdoor lighting will all help protect your home from criminal activity.

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