A preliminary state review indicates that major crimes such as armed robbery and murder have decreased in Massachusetts. However, hate crimes against Jews have increased by 20.5% in recent years.
According to Governor Maura Healey, the new data is encouraging and highlights the vital work that law enforcement and community partners perform every day to keep Massachusetts residents safe. We are aware that there is always more to be done, and we are dedicated to uniting people in order to keep improving public safety in communities throughout the state.
According to preliminary estimates based on data gathered by the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System and Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) programs, all Part One offenses decreased in 2024, with an average decline of 4.4% compared to 2023.
Major declines in motor vehicle theft (down 16.1% in 2024 compared to 2023) and murder and non-negligent homicide (down 11.4%) were the main drivers of that positive statistical decline.
Then came a 5.7% drop in serious assault, a 1.8% drop in forcible rape, a 1.5% drop in theft, and an 8.6% drop in both burglaries and robberies.
Not only were these crimes lower than in 2023, but they also defied five-year trends: the 132 homicides in 2024 are lower than both the 149 in 2023 and the five-year average of 146.
Criminal homicide with a firearm decreased by 21.8%, robbery with a firearm decreased by 15.8%, weapon law offenses decreased by 11.9%, and aggravated assault with a firearm decreased by 10.7%. These figures are even greater than the overall decline in firearm-specific crimes.
The state claims that in order to better track firearm offenses, it included a gunshot wound descriptor in incident submissions to NIBRS.
Despite having a statistically favorable year in 2024, Massachusetts was nevertheless impacted by nationwide patterns in crime, such as an increase in shoplifting. Additionally, the state reported a sharp rise in hate crimes, with occurrences against Jews seeing the biggest spike at 20.5%.
According to the Healey administration, hate crimes against Jews in Massachusetts have overtaken hate crimes against Black people for the first time since tracking started in 1991.
For the fifth year in a row, antisemitic occurrences broke the region-wide record, according to the New England Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights group that fights antisemitism. These numbers include instances in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, but not Connecticut.
The jump took place in October 2023, the same month that Hamas launched a terrorist attack on Israel, sparking Israel’s ongoing war of retaliation.
Compared to the 204 instances recorded in 2022 and the 155 in 2021, the ADL recorded almost 600 events in 2023 and 2024, a significant rise. This includes 12 assaults in 2023 and five in 2024, 204 vandalism incidents in 2023 and 221 in 2024, and 407 recorded harassment instances in 2023 and 412 in 2024.
According to the ADL data, 438 occurrences occurred in 108 cities and towns in Massachusetts, accounting for the great majority of those figures. These incidents comprised 115 cases of antisemitic meetings or gatherings, 132 cases of verbal or written harassment or threats, and 157 cases of damage. The Nazi Party’s emblem, the Swastika, was found in 87 cases, according to the ADL.
The Bay State now ranks fifth in the country for hate crimes against Jews. The highest rates that year were 1,437 in New York, 1,345 in California, 719 in New Jersey, and 465 in Pennsylvania.
According to ADL New England Regional Director Samantha Joseph, the ongoing rise in antisemitic occurrences over the previous five years serves as a sobering reminder that antisemitism still affects our communities. The rise in attacks on Orthodox Jews and the ongoing spread of extremist acts are especially worrisome. The worrisome displays of antisemitism in 2024 are frightening and serve as a reminder that there is still more to be done.
The decrease was ascribed by the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security to focused efforts in community prevention, youth programming, and police-community outreach. That office claims that over $45 million was spent on these activities under the Healey administration.
This included seminars for law enforcement and religious groups, statewide training forums, and $15.5 million in security grants for what the administration refers to as high-risk NGOs.
But particular emphasis was paid to the rise in hate crimes.
The Hate Crimes Awareness and Response Team, or HART, was established by the Healey administration in November 2023. According to the administration, it is a team of four to five sworn State Police troopers who are committed to strengthening statewide response to hate crimes and hate-based incidents by strengthening federal, state, and local partnerships and communicating with community leaders. $461,920 in grant funds for school-based hate crime prevention initiatives was part of the campaign.
With a population of 673,458 as of July 1, Boston is by far the largest city in Massachusetts and a major influence on state crime statistics.
It looks like this year will be bloodier than previous ones. According to the most recent data from the Boston Police Department, as of June 29, there have been 16 killings in the city so far this year, compared to six during the same time period in 2024. This is comparable to a five-year average of 14.8.
With 88 reported so far in 2025 compared to 90 during the same period last year and a five-year average of 101, rape and attempted rape are comparable.
So far this year, 350 robberies and attempted robberies have been reported, compared to 399 the previous year and an average of 393.8. With 446 versus 445 last year, domestic violence is about equal to the 431.6 average from the previous year. With 682 documented cases this year compared to 797 last year on an average of 806.2, non-domestic assault is significantly down.
