Talk of the Town – The Third Safest Town

Wayland was named the third safest town in Massachusetts in the Safewise 2025 State of Safety in American Rankings. The first two safest ranked MA towns are Northborough and Clinton. All of the towns or cities in the top 20 have populations under 40,000. The report examines property and violent crime rates based on country crime rates and other data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as local resident surveys. Bay Staters had the lowest level of property crime experiences in the nation and some of the lowest violent crime and gun violence experiences, according to the analysis. The Safewise study said if Massachusetts’ 20 safest cities are any indication, violent crime may be decreasing across The Bay State. Wayland was one of the five safest cities that reported zero murders, rapes and robberies this past year. More cities reported a decrease in violent crime than a decrease in property crime. The state’s 20 safest cities reported a 40% year-over-year decrease in violent crime compared to 37% for the rest of the nation. Wayland’s low violent crime rate per 1000 people has remained constant: 2023, 0; 2024, .1; 2025, .1. However, Massachusetts has high rates of package theft, according to Safewise. Package theft in the state increased from 31% in last year’s survey to 40%. Although nominal, Wayland statistics indicated a modest increase, 2023, 0; 2024, 1.6 and 2025 2.4. Unlike in other parts of the country, Massachusetts residents surveyed said that they prefer to protect their property with security cameras, security systems or dog guards than owning guns.

SafeWise is an online resource that provides tools and information on home safety and internet security. It specializes in testing, reviewing, and comparing home safety products and security companies. They have been releasing their State of Safety in American Rankings since 2019.