Waltham, MA Crime Map

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions About Waltham, MA Crime

Is Waltham, MA safe?

Yes — Waltham earns an overall city-wide safety rating of A (Very Safe) based on analysis of 15 neighborhoods. A striking 93% of those neighborhoods fall into the safe tier, meaning they received either an A or B grade. Specifically, 66.7% of neighborhoods earned a Grade A and another 26.7% earned a Grade B. Only one neighborhood — The Chemistry — sits at a C+, and not a single neighborhood in Waltham received a D or F. Highly rated areas like Cedarwood (A+), The Lanes (A+), and Warrendale (A+) anchor the city's strong safety profile, making Waltham one of the safer mid-size cities in Massachusetts.

What is the crime rate in Waltham, MA?

Waltham's crime landscape skews heavily toward the safe end of the spectrum. Across all 15 analyzed neighborhoods, 66.7% hold an A grade, meaning roughly two out of every three neighborhoods are in the top safety tier. The city's overall crime grade is C+, which reflects the aggregate impact of a small number of higher-activity areas, but the neighborhood-level picture tells a more reassuring story: zero neighborhoods received a D or F. The areas with relatively elevated activity — The Chemistry (C+), Robert's (B), Bank Square (B), Southside (B), and The Bleachery (B+) — still rank in the middle tier at worst, not in high-crime territory. Waltham's 2.6% unemployment rate and median household income of $95,851 also correlate with its broadly low crime environment.

What are the safest neighborhoods in Waltham?

Ten of Waltham's 15 analyzed neighborhoods carry a Grade A, making the city exceptionally safe at the local level. The top performers are:

• Cedarwood — A+: The highest-income neighborhood in the dataset at a median of $154,435, with a population of 718 and the city's top safety grade.
• The Lanes — A+: A smaller enclave of about 399 residents with a median income of $104,936 and a perfect safety record.
• Warrendale — A+: One of the larger A+ neighborhoods at 3,958 residents and a median income of $118,968.
• The Highlands — A: Home to 1,734 residents with a median income of $120,306.
• Brandeis — A: 1,594 residents and a median income of $125,885, benefiting from proximity to Brandeis University's campus environment.
• Piety Corner — A: The largest A-grade neighborhood at 5,281 residents, with a median income of $102,438.
• Lakeview — A-: 5,253 residents and the second-highest median income among A-rated areas at $129,630.
• West Waltham — A-: 2,838 residents and a median income of $105,409.

Combined, these neighborhoods represent a broad swath of Waltham's population living in low-crime conditions.

Which Waltham neighborhoods have higher crime?

Relative to the rest of Waltham, five neighborhoods show elevated — though not alarming — crime grades. The Chemistry is the only neighborhood graded C+, making it the single outlier below a B in the entire city. Four others — Robert's (B), Bank Square (B), Southside (B), and The Bleachery (B+) — sit in the moderate tier. Importantly, a B grade still indicates a reasonably safe environment; it simply means these areas see more incident activity than Waltham's many A-rated neighborhoods. No neighborhood in Waltham received a D or F, which means even the city's highest-crime pockets remain well above the threshold for genuinely dangerous areas.

Is Waltham a good place to live in 2026?

By nearly every measurable indicator, Waltham is a strong choice for residents in 2026. The city's median household income of $95,851 sits well above national averages, and its unemployment rate of just 2.6% signals a robust local job market. The median home value of $573,950 reflects a stable, in-demand housing market, while a median rent of $1,774 offers rental options across a range of budgets. On the safety front, 93% of neighborhoods are rated B or better, and 10 out of 15 neighborhoods carry an A grade. The city's poverty rate of 9.2% is relatively modest, and its population density of 1,896 per square mile supports walkable, community-oriented living. Whether you're drawn to the affluent calm of Cedarwood, the family-friendly environment of Warrendale, or the lively character of areas like Piety Corner, Waltham offers a compelling mix of economic vitality and neighborhood safety.