Watertown, MA has a B safety grade (68/100) with a violent crime rate of 153 per 100,000, 56% below the national average.
Watertown, MA Crime Rate & Safety
Violent and property crime rates per 100,000 residents, drawn directly from FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data. Compare against state and national averages.
- 153.3
- Violent / 100K
- 1858.7
- Property / 100K
- 36K
- Population
- -56%
- vs U.S. avg
The verdict
Watertown earns a B safety grade: violent crime runs 56% below the U.S. average, placing it close to the national middle for violent crime.
- B
- PlainCrime safety grade
- -56%
- violent crime vs. U.S. average
- 48th
- percentile of 8,986 U.S. cities
- 1,858.7
- property crimes per 100K
FBI UCR Data Snapshot: Watertown, MA
Watertown, MA, reporting population 35,885 in 2024, recorded 55 violent crimes and 667 property crimes in the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program's Table 8 city-level submissions. The city's violent crime rate works out to 153.3 per 100,000 residents, while the property crime rate reaches 1858.7 per 100,000. Combining those two rates against national benchmarks yields a composite safety grade of B (Above Average), scoring 68 out of 100.
Within the violent crime count, aggravated assault accounted for 43 incidents, robbery 3, murder 0, and rape 9 in 2024. Property crime splits into larceny-theft (639), burglary (19), and motor vehicle theft (9); the FBI UCR Program tracks arson (2) as a separate offense category, so it is not included in the property crime total above. Larceny-theft and other property offenses typically dominate city crime counts, and larceny-theft leads Watertown's mix at 88.5% of all Part I offenses.
Against the national violent crime average, Watertown runs 56% below the US benchmark, and 50% below the Massachusetts statewide rate. Year-over-year, the violent crime rate rose 11.7% from 2023 to 2024, while property crime climbed 39.3%. By violent crime rate, Watertown ranks #85 of 186 Massachusetts cities with at least 10,000 residents. UCR figures reflect offenses reported to and submitted by local law enforcement and may undercount unreported crime.
How to read these numbers
These figures come from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, which compiles offenses voluntarily submitted by local law enforcement agencies. Rates are expressed per 100,000 residents so a small town and a large city sit on the same scale, 50 burglaries mean something very different in a town of 2,000 than in a city of 500,000. Two caveats matter when reading any city's numbers. First, a year with missing or partial agency reporting can understate true crime, so a sudden drop sometimes reflects a reporting gap rather than a real safety gain. Second, UCR counts reported offenses, not convictions, and many crimes are never reported at all. Treat a grade as one input among several, not a final verdict on a place.
Is Watertown, MA Safe? Safety Assessment
Watertown edges out slightly more than half of U.S. cities on violent crime, 48th percentile of 8,986 reporting cities (safer than 48%). Composite safety grade: B (68/100).
Recent trend: Violent crime increased by 11.7% from 2023 to 2024. Property crime rose 39.3%.
Safety assessments are based on FBI UCR reported crime statistics. Actual safety varies by neighborhood, time of day, and individual circumstances. Crime reporting rates differ across jurisdictions.
Safety Overview
based on FBI UCR data
Crime Rate Breakdown, How Each Offense Compares
Each offense category's rate per 100,000 residents, benchmarked against the national average. Bars show the rate relative to the highest-rate offense in this city.
How this works: Each bar shows the offense rate per 100,000 residents relative to the most frequent offense in this city. ▲▼ indicators compare against the FBI UCR national rate for that offense category. A longer bar means a higher per-capita rate, it does not imply the city is dangerous; use it to understand the mix of crime types. Full methodology →
Year-over-Year Change (2023 to 2024)
Crime Breakdown (2024)
| Category | Count | Rate /100K |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 55 | 153.3 |
| Murder | 0 | 0 |
| Rape | 9 | 25.1 |
| Robbery | 3 | 8.4 |
| Aggravated Assault | 43 | 119.8 |
| Property Crime | 667 | 1858.7 |
| Burglary | 19 | 52.9 |
| Larceny-Theft | 639 | 1780.7 |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 9 | 25.1 |
| Arson | 2 | 5.6 |
Per-Capita Risk Assessment
These are statistical averages based on reported crimes. Actual risk varies significantly by neighborhood, time of day, and individual circumstances.
Crime Type Distribution (2024)
Watertown Crime Trend (2020–2024)
Watertown violent crime rate trend
Per 100,000 residents · 2020–2024 · FBI UCR
- Violent crime rate (2024)
- 153.3/100K 11.7% vs 2023
Watertown property crime rate trend
Per 100,000 residents · 2020–2024 · FBI UCR
- Property crime rate (2024)
- 1,858.7/100K 39.3% vs 2023
| Year | Population | Violent Rate | Property Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 36,201 | 85.6 | 712.7 |
| 2021 | 36,858 | 108.5 | 721.7 |
| 2022 | 35,088 | 139.6 | 1034.5 |
| 2023 | 34,988 | 137.2 | 1334.7 |
| 2024 | 35,885 | 153.3 | 1858.7 |
Watertown vs Massachusetts vs National Average
How Watertown ranks nationally
Watertown vs. every U.S. city
Violent crime per 100,000 residents, FBI UCR 2024. Lower is safer.
153 48th percentile among 8,986 U.S. cities
Each bar is a band of values; taller bars hold more U.S. cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program · 2024
Reporting Agency
Watertown's crime figures on this page originate from Watertown Police Department's submission to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program.
This agency reports via NIBRS, the incident-based system that captures more detail per offense (multiple crimes per incident, victim/offender data) than the older summary counts.
Nearby Cities in Massachusetts
Compare Watertown against neighboring cities in the same state, or use our side-by-side compare tool to benchmark two cities directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the crime rate in Watertown, MA? ▼
Is Watertown, MA safe? ▼
What is the population of Watertown, MA? ▼
How many crimes were reported in Watertown? ▼
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Understanding Crime Data
Data as of 2024. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.
Crime rates are calculated per 100,000 population. Not all agencies report complete data. FBI Crime in the United States (CIUS) Table 8. Population figures referenced from U.S. Census Bureau estimates where noted; state-level comparisons cross-check against state UCR programs. Verify with FBI.gov UCR, Census.gov QuickFacts, and HUD.gov fair-market rents.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology , how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, Summary Reporting System + National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). FBI UCR Program
- FBI Crime Data Explorer (CDE), current-vintage UCR/NIBRS data source. FBI Crime Data Explorer
- Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), National Crime Victimization Survey, contextual statistics. Bureau of Justice Statistics
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS, population denominators for rate calculations. U.S. Census Bureau ACS
- CDC WONDER, injury and mortality reference for homicide rate context. CDC WONDER
- FBI Hate Crime Statistics, annual hate-crime reports. FBI Hate Crime Statistics
Every figure on PlainCrime is rendered directly from FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FBI Uniform Crime Reporting source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.