Study says Northborough is safest community in Massachusetts. How was it determined?
NORTHBOROUGH — A security review website has concluded that Northborough is the safest community in the state.
SafeWise, security product review platform, ranked Northborough first based on several factors. The Worcester County community of about 15,000 people moves up from its fourth-place ranking a year ago.
Select Board Chairman Mitch Cohen said many town departments and people helped the community earn the high ranking, including Police Chief Brian Griffin and his predecessor, retired Police Chief Bill Lyver.
"Northborough has a culture of caring for neighbors and strangers alike, which extends through all aspects of government and community," Cohen wrote in an email. "Support for community safety ranges from funding of our public safety departments through helping those who might be especially vulnerable to crime and those who might otherwise find reason for misbehavior."
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Cohen also credited the Senior Center, Health Department, Northborough Public Schools, the community meals program, Northborough Helping Hands and religious organizations.
How is SafeWise's safest community list determined?
SafeWise, which releases a top safe community list for each state every year, bases its numbers on FBI crime statistics, particularly property and violent crimes. That data is combined with population data, eliminating communities that have fewer than the median number of residents in their respective state.
SafeWise also conducts a survey of residents in every state to find out what crimes they're most concerned about, giving more weight to how frequent those crimes occur in a community when evaluating whether it's safe.
For example, two crimes Bay State residents expressed concern about were gun violence (51% of respondents) and package theft (46%).
Why was Northborough ranked number one?
According to SafeWise, each year there are an average of 11.3 property crimes committed in Massachusetts per 1,000 people. There are 3.7 violent crimes committed per 1,000 people.
But Northborough, according to SafeWise, had 0.1 property crimes committed per 1,000 residents and 0.3 violent crimes per 1,000 residents.
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In 2023, Northborough had no reported burglaries and no murders. The number of several crimes that state residents were most concerned about were low in town.
What do police have to say about the ranking?
Griffin said the Police Department takes pride in keeping the community safe.
“This sure is a nice recognition for the Town of Northborough," he said. "It is one of many reasons people choose to move here. Our department has and will always take great pride in protecting and providing top-level service for its residents, visitors and businesses. We are very proud to see Northborough come out on top of this list “
What other MetroWest communities made the list?
Wayland, which was ranked No. 1 last year, placed second this year. Holliston was ranked ninth, up from 28th a year ago. Medway ranked 11th and Sudbury was 12th.
The complete top 20 list:
NorthboroughWaylandClintonGraftonIpswichWinchesterSharonScituateHollistonLexingtonMedwaySudburyBedfordPembrokeWestfordMedfieldNortonMiltonDuxburyMarshfield
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Northborough, Wayland, top list of safest communities in the state
