Springfield, MA Crime Map

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions: Springfield, MA Crime & Safety

Is Springfield, MA safe?

Springfield earns an overall crime grade of D+ citywide, but that number alone tells an incomplete story. When researchers analyzed all 16 neighborhoods individually, 50% of them — 8 out of 16 — scored a B or higher, meaning half the city is genuinely competitive with safer mid-size American cities. Another 31% of neighborhoods landed in the C range (moderate risk), while only about 19% of neighborhoods — 3 out of 16 — received a D grade. No neighborhood scored an F. Areas like East Forest Park (A) and Sixteen Acres (A-) demonstrate that meaningful safety exists within Springfield's borders, particularly on the eastern and southeastern sides of the city.

What is the crime rate in Springfield compared to national averages?

Springfield's citywide grade of D+ reflects crime rates that are elevated compared to national medians, which aligns with the city's socioeconomic profile: a 25.5% poverty rate, an 8.8% unemployment rate, and a median household income of $41,571 — all factors that correlate strongly with higher crime in research literature. That said, the neighborhood-level picture is more nuanced. 25% of Springfield's 16 analyzed neighborhoods earned an A grade, and another 25% earned a B grade. The higher-crime areas — Brightwood, South End, and Metro Center (all D+) — pull the citywide average down significantly, while quieter residential zones like Forest Park (B+) and Liberty Heights (B+) perform considerably better.

What are the safest neighborhoods in Springfield, MA?

Based on 2026 crime data across 16 neighborhoods, the top-rated areas are:

• East Forest Park — Grade A: The city's safest neighborhood, with a median household income of $83,144 and a population of about 10,378. Its combination of high income and low crime makes it Springfield's gold standard for residential safety.
• Sixteen Acres — Grade A-: Home to roughly 22,453 residents and a median income of $74,918, Sixteen Acres is the city's most populous top-rated neighborhood — proof that safety at scale is achievable here.
• Boston Road — Grade A-: A smaller enclave of 4,321 residents with a median income of $52,865, Boston Road punches above its weight on safety metrics.
• East Springfield — Grade A-: With 7,673 residents and a median income of $52,549, East Springfield rounds out the A-tier neighborhoods.
• Pine Point, Liberty Heights, Upper Hill, and Forest Park — all Grade B+: These four neighborhoods collectively house tens of thousands of residents and consistently outperform the city average. Forest Park alone has a population of 26,356.

Collectively, the four A-grade neighborhoods average a median household income of roughly $65,869 — well above the city median of $41,571 — illustrating the strong correlation between income levels and neighborhood safety grades in Springfield.

Which neighborhoods in Springfield have higher crime?

Three neighborhoods received a D+ grade in 2026: Brightwood, South End, and Metro Center. Two additional neighborhoods — Memorial Square and Six Corners / Maple High — earned a C- grade, placing them in the lower-moderate tier. Together, these five areas represent the primary concentrations of criminal activity in the city. It's worth noting that even the lowest-graded neighborhoods in Springfield did not reach an F, suggesting that while elevated risk exists, the city does not contain zones of extreme, pervasive crime comparable to the worst-ranked areas in larger U.S. metros. Residents and visitors to these neighborhoods should exercise heightened awareness, particularly after dark.

How does Springfield's crime distribution break down by neighborhood grade?

Of the 16 Springfield neighborhoods analyzed for 2026, the grade distribution is as follows:

• Grade A: 4 neighborhoods (25%) — East Forest Park, Sixteen Acres, Boston Road, East Springfield
• Grade B: 4 neighborhoods (25%) — Pine Point, Liberty Heights, Upper Hill, Forest Park (all B+)
• Grade C: 5 neighborhoods (31.3%) — including Old Hill (C+), Bay (C), Memorial Square (C-), and Six Corners / Maple High (C-)
• Grade D: 3 neighborhoods (18.8%) — Brightwood, South End, Metro Center (all D+)
• Grade F: 0 neighborhoods (0%)

The takeaway: half of Springfield's neighborhoods are objectively safe (A or B grade), nearly a third are moderate, and fewer than one in five fall into higher-crime territory. The absence of any F-rated neighborhood is a meaningful data point often overlooked in citywide crime discussions.

Is Springfield a good place to live in 2026?

Springfield presents a genuine trade-off that prospective residents should weigh carefully. On the economic side, the city offers a median home value of just $162,383 and a median rent of $908 — among the most affordable housing markets in Massachusetts — with a population of over 615,000 providing urban amenities and services. The challenges are real: a 25.5% poverty rate and 8.8% unemployment are above national norms, and the citywide crime grade of D+ reflects those pressures. However, for families and individuals willing to be selective about neighborhood, Springfield offers genuine value. Neighborhoods like East Forest Park (A, median income $83,144), Sixteen Acres (A-, median income $74,918), and the four B+-rated neighborhoods — Pine Point, Liberty Heights, Upper Hill, and Forest Park — provide safe, affordable communities that would be significantly more expensive in Boston or Worcester. The city-wide safety rating of Moderate (C) across all neighborhoods reflects a city that is livable, particularly in its eastern and southern residential zones.

How does neighborhood income correlate with safety grades in Springfield?

The data shows a clear pattern: Springfield's safest neighborhoods are also its most affluent. The Grade A neighborhoods average a median household income well above $60,000, led by East Forest Park at $83,144 and Sixteen Acres at $74,918. By contrast, higher-crime areas like Old Hill (C+) and Bay (C) report median incomes of $30,416 and $33,963 respectively — roughly 40% of what East Forest Park residents earn. This income-safety correlation is consistent with national research and underscores why Springfield's citywide median income of $41,571 and 25.5% poverty rate are relevant context for understanding the overall D+ crime grade. Improving economic opportunity in lower-income neighborhoods is widely considered the most durable long-term path to reducing crime in cities like Springfield.