Massachusetts' Safest Cities In 2018: SafeWise

Where are the safest places to live in Massachusetts? Home security and safety company SafeWise released its annual rankings, and a few surprises landed on this year's list. There were shoe-ins like Newton, Wellesley and Belmont, but it's not all Greater Boston; Central Massachusetts had a strong showing at the head of the pack, and the top 20 was dotted with communities from up around New Hampshire to down along the South Shore.

To compile its list, SafeWise examined statistics from the 2016 FBI crime report, along with population data. Communities may not have qualified if they did not submit a complete crime report or fell below the population requirements.

The rankings were based on reported violent crimes such as aggravated assault, murder, rape and robbery in each city. If there was a tie, property crimes like burglary, arson, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft were considered.

To "level the playing field," SafeWise then calculated the rate of crimes per 1,000 people to account for the likelihood of crimes occurring in areas with different population makeups.

Below are the 20 safest cities in Massachusetts in 2018, according to SafeWise:

1. Franklin
2. Shrewsbury
3. Hopkinton
4. Winchester
5. Needham
6. Northborough
7. Hanover
8. Milton
9. Sudbury
10. Dedham
11. Hudson
12. North Andover
13. Bedford
14. Reading
15. Wellesley
16. Norton
17. Newton
18. Belmont
19. Andover
20. Melrose

>>>Click here to see the breakdown of each community by population and crime rate.

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