The safest big city in Massachusetts
Here’s a widely held notion that Bostonians should free themselves from:
Boston still has one of the lowest crime and murder rates of major cities in the U.S.
Really now?
| City | Population | Murder rate |
| Boston | 593,000 | 12.3 |
| Austin | 693,019 | 3.7 |
| Dallas | 1,230,303 | 16.8 |
| El Paso | 601,839 | 2.3 |
| Fort Worth | 613,261 | 9.8 |
| Houston | 2,045,732 | 16.3 |
| San Antonio | 1,256,584 | 7.2 |
| Colorado Springs | 374,482 | 3.2 |
| Denver | 564,552 | 10.5 |
| Nevada | 1,281,698 | 11.3 |
| Chicago | 2,873,441 | 15.6 |
| Detroit | 900,932 | 39.3 |
| Indianapolis | 800,304 | 13.5 |
| St. Louis | 346,005 | 37.9 |
| New York City | 8,115,690 | 6.7 |
| Buffalo | 283,269 | 20 |
| Cincinnati | 314,292 | 25.2 |
| Cleveland | 458,885 | 23.7 |
| Columbus | 730,329 | 14.0 |
| Philadelphia | 1,472,915 | 25.6 |
| Pittsburgh | 330,780 | 19.1 |
| Newark | 281,063 | 34.6 |
| Baltimore | 641,097 | 42 |
| Washington, DC | 550,521 | 35 |
| Charlotte-Mecklenburg | 677,122 | 12.6 |
| Raleigh | 332,084 | 6.1 |
| Atlanta | 430,666 | 20.9 |
| Jacksonville | 795,259 | 11.5 |
| Miami | 388,295 | 13.9 |
| Minneapolis | 376,277 | 12.5 |
| Seattle | 579,215 | 4.3 |
| Portland | 540,389 | 3.7 |
| Long Beach | 479,729 | 8.8 |
| Los Angeles | 3,871,077 | 12.9 |
| Oakland | 400,619 | 23.3 |
| Sacramento | 457,347 | 11.6 |
| San Francisco | 749,172 | 12.8 |
| San Jose | 910,528 | 2.9 |
| Phoenix | 1,466,296 | 15.0 |
| Tucson | 529,447 | 10.4 |
Murder rates and population estimates from the 2005 FBI Uniform Crime Report. I slanted the numbers in Boston’s favor by using the revised population estimate. The rates probably deviate marginally from the official rates.
