Crime in Fall River, Massachusetts

Fall River's crime rate

There were 1,847 crimes reported in Fall River, Massachusetts in 2019, the most recent year crime data is available. Adjusted for population, the city’s annual crime rate is 2,074 incidents for every 100,000 people.

How does Fall River compare?

Fall River has a lower overall crime rate than the country as a whole. For comparison, the national total crime rate is 2,489 incidents for every 100,000 people.

Fall River's overall crime rate is 38% higher than the overall crime rate in Massachusetts. Statewide, there were 103,895 crimes reported in 2019, or 1,507 for every 100,000 people.

What types of crimes are being committed?

The FBI's crime rate includes seven crime categories: three property crimes -- larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft, and four violent crimes -- aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and murder.

Property crime

The vast majority of crimes in America are property crimes, accounting for 85% of total crimes in 2019. In Fall River, however, property crimes account for only about 58% of all offenses.

Property crime is less prevalent in Fall River than it is nationwide. There were 1,074 property crimes in Fall River in 2019, or 1,206 for every 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, the national property crime rate is 2,110 incidents per 100,000 people.

Larceny

Larceny is by far the most common type of property crime in the U.S. It is also the most commonly committed type of property crime in Fall River. There were 499 larcenies reported in Fall River in 2019, or 560 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the larceny rate is 1,550 per 100,000.

Burglary

There were 412 break-ins reported in Fall River in 2019, or 463 for every 100,000 residents. For reference, there were 341 reported burglaries for every 100,000 people nationwide in 2019.

Motor Vehicle Theft

Across the United States, the annual motor vehicle theft rate is 220 for every 100,000 people. In Fall River, meanwhile, there were 163 motor vehicle thefts in 2019, or 183 for every 100,000 people.

Violent crime

Violent crime accounts for a relatively small share of crimes nationwide. These offenses, which are generally more egregious than property crimes, account for about 15% of the nearly 8.2 million offenses reported across the U.S. in 2019. In Fall River, however, violent offenses account for a much larger 42% share of all reported crime.

At 868 incidents for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate in Fall River is well above the national violent crime rate of 379 offenses per 100,000 people. Law enforcement in Fall River reported a total of 773 violent crimes in 2019.

Aggravated Assault

Aggravated assault is by far the most common type of violent crime reported in the U.S. It is also the most commonly reported violent offense in Fall River. There were 604 aggravated assaults reported in Fall River in 2019, or 678 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the rate is far lower, standing at 250 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people.

Robbery

Robbery is the second most common type of violent crime in America. There were 113 robberies reported in Fall River in 2019, a rate of 127 robberies for every 100,000 residents. For comparison, the national robbery rate was 82 per 100,000 in 2019.

Rape

There were 51 rapes reported in Fall River in 2019, or 57 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, there were 139,815 rapes in 2019, a rate of 43 per 100,000 people.

Murder

There were 5 homicides committed in the city in 2019. Adjusted for population, the murder rate in Fall River is 5.6 murders for every 100,000 people, higher than the national murder rate of 5 per 100,000 people.

Fall River compared to other cities in Massachusetts

Fall River has a higher crime rate than the vast majority of all comparable cities in Massachusetts. To be considered comparable, a city must have a complete 2019 FBI crime report and population of 5,000 or more.

Here are all comparable cities ranked by total crime rate. Click any bar or city name to see more about crime in that city.

Click here to see a list of all city crime pages.

Click here to see a list of all state crime pages.

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