In 2025, New Bedford police reported 349 violent crimes (345 per 100,000 residents), including 4 murders, 68 robberies and 226 aggravated assaults, plus 1,566 property crimes, according to FBI data.
Population covered: 101,139. Violent-crime rate rank: 8 of 9 large Massachusetts cities on this site (1 = highest rate). Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer, agency MA0031100, January–December 2025.
| City | Violent / 100k | Violent | Murders | Property / 100k | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield | 871 | 1,344 | 17 | 2,444 | Totals |
| Worcester | 601 | 1,281 | 1 | 1,430 | Totals |
| Boston | 583 | 3,915 | 24 | 1,923 | Live |
| Lynn | 561 | 582 | 4 | 1,106 | Totals |
| Brockton | 538 | 568 | 8 | 1,393 | Totals |
| Lowell | 505 | 613 | 2 | 1,386 | Totals |
| Cambridge | 436 | 530 | 2 | 2,595 | Totals |
| New Bedford | 345 | 349 | 4 | 1,548 | Totals |
| Quincy | 302 | 313 | 1 | 1,194 | Totals |
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer agency counts for 2025 (all 12 months reported unless noted), retrieved October 7, 2026. Rates use the population the FBI lists for each police agency.
New Bedford's violent-crime rate of 345 per 100,000 people in 2025 was 15% higher than the Massachusetts rate (300) and 8% higher than the U.S. rate (320). That works out to one reported violent crime for every 290 residents, or about 6.7 a week.
Among the 362 cities with full-year FBI numbers on CityCrimeMap, New Bedford ranks 212th for violent crime, in the lower half, and 169th for murder (4 murders, 4 per 100,000).
Aggravated assaults made up 65% of New Bedford's violent crimes and robberies 19%, a bigger robbery share than the 15% seen nationally.
Property crime ran 1,548 per 100,000, 50% higher than Massachusetts overall. New Bedford police logged 260 vehicle thefts (257 per 100,000, 158th of 351; Massachusetts: 89) and 197 burglaries (195 per 100,000, 74% higher than the state).
The closest city we cover is Warwick, 25 miles west in Rhode Island; its violent-crime rate (87) is less than half New Bedford's.
Out-of-state cities near New Bedford's size (101,139 residents): Toms River, NJ at 124 violent crimes per 100,000 and Davenport, IA at 652.
By the FBI's 2025 numbers, New Bedford had 345 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 15% higher than the statewide 300. It is 8th highest of the 9 Massachusetts cities on this site; Springfield is highest at 871. A city-wide rate does not tell you about a single block.
New Bedford police reported 4 murders for 2025, a rate of 4 per 100,000 residents. The Massachusetts rate was 1.3 and the national rate 4.1.
260 vehicles were reported stolen in New Bedford in 2025, 257 per 100,000 residents. That is 32% higher than the national rate of 195 and ranks 158th of 351 cities on this site.