WORCESTER – The the FBI released their annual national crime data from the 2022 Uniform Crime Reporting [UCR] Program’s National Incident-Based Reporting System — a collection of the number of offenses that come to the attention of law enforcement for a range of different crimes across each town, city, state and region in the United States.
From 2021 to 2022, violent crimes in the U.S. decreased by 1.25% and the number of homicides decreased by 6.12%.
In Massachusetts, the number of homicides increased by 10.45%. There were 158 homicides in Massachusetts in 2022, while 2021 had 134. Although homicides increased in 2022, there were still fewer homicides last year than in both 2020 and 2019.
The number of violent crimes increased by 6.85% in Massachusetts in 2021 and reached the highest number, 22,484, since 2019. Despite the increase, it is still lower than any year before 2019 in the data set available from the current FBI reporting system, which goes back to 1986.
Each year, ThisWeekinWorcester.com gathers the FBI’s crime data and ranks the 25 cities in Massachusetts with the highest violent crime rates per capita [1,000 people].
The FBI classifies violent crime by four offenses: homicide and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Violent crimes are defined in the UCR Program as those offenses that involve force or threat of force.
#25 Fitchburg
Population: 41,791
Violent Crimes: 184
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 4.40
Homicide: 1
#24 Barnstable
Population: 50,501
Violent Crimes: 232
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 4.59
Homicide: 2
#23 Greenfield
Population: 17,203
Violent Crimes: 80
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 4.65
Homicide: 0
#22 Taunton
Population: 60,062
Violent Crimes: 286
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 4.76
Homicide: 1
#21 West Springfield
Population: 28,655
Violent Crimes: 140
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 4.89
Homicide: 1
#20 Lawrence
Population: 88,422
Violent Crimes: 445
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 5.03
Homicide: 4
#19 Chicopee
Population: 55,265
Violent Crimes: 295
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 5.34
Homicide: 4
#18 Athol
Population: 11,938
Violent Crimes: 67
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 5.61
Homicide: 0
#17 Haverhill
Population: 67,359
Violent Crimes: 395
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 5.86
Homicide: 0
#16 Montague
Population: 8,581
Violent Crimes: 51
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 5.94
Homicide: 0
#15 Worcester
Population: 206,575
Violent Crimes: 1,248
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 6.04
Homicide: 11
#14 Ware
Population: 10,295
Violent Crimes: 63
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 6.12
Homicide: 0
#13 Boston
Population: 638,925
Violent Crimes: 3,926
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 6.14
Homicide: 47
#12 New Bedford
Population: 101,402
Violent Crimes: 627
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 6.18
Homicide: 4
#11 Brockton
Population: 110,084
Violent Crimes: 708
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 6.43
Homicide: 8
#10 Tisbury
Population: 5,079
Violent Crimes: 34
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 6.69
Homicide: 0
#9 Webster
Population: 17,651
Violent Crimes: 119
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 6.74
Homicide: 1
#8 Lynn
Population: 101,056
Violent Crimes: 682
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 6.75
Homicide: 7
#7 Oak Bluffs
Population: 5,653
Violent Crimes: 19
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 6.90
Homicide: 0
#6 Pittsfield
Population: 43,496
Violent Crimes: 314
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 7.22
Homicide: 3
#5 Chelsea
Population: 37,590
Violent Crimes: 293
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 7.79
Homicide: 0
#4 Springfield
Population: 155,046
Violent Crimes: 1,328
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 8.57
Homicide: 14
#3 Holyoke
Population: 37,945
Violent Crimes: 364
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 9.59
Homicide: 6
#2 Fall River
Population: 94,339
Violent Crimes: 940
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 9.96
Homicide: 3
#1 North Adams
Population: 12,836
Violent Crimes: 128
Violent Crimes Per Capita: 9.97
Homicide: 2
A data set of broad categories of crimes for each reporting municipality in Worcester County is below. The search feature will enable locating a specific location. Further below, a more robust set of crime statistics is available.
Below, you will find an expansive set of crime statistics for each reporting municipality in Worcester County. It may be easier, especially for mobile users, to search for the municipality you’d wish to see statistics for.
