The crime rate in Barnstable is considerably higher than the national average across all communities in America from the largest to the smallest, although at 13 crimes per one thousand residents, it is not among the communities with the very highest crime rate. The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in Barnstable is 1 in 78. Based on FBI crime data, Barnstable is not one of the safest communities in America. Relative to Massachusetts, Barnstable has a crime rate that is higher than 79% of the state's cities and towns of all sizes.

However, compared to other communities of similar population size, Barnstable has a crime rate that is noticeably lower than the average. This means that for comparably sized cities all across America, Barnstable is actually safer than most according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis of FBI crime data.

Now let us turn to take a look at how Barnstable does for violent crimes specifically, and then how it does for property crimes. This is important because the overall crime rate can be further illuminated by understanding if violent crime or property crimes (or both) are the major contributors to the general rate of crime in Barnstable.

From our analysis, we discovered that violent crime in Barnstable occurs at a rate higher than in most communities of all population sizes in America. The chance that a person will become a victim of a violent crime in Barnstable; such as armed robbery, aggravated assault, rape or murder; is 1 in 212. This equates to a rate of 5 per one thousand inhabitants.

Moreover, the rate of property crime in Barnstable; burglary, larceny ($50 or more), grand theft auto, and arson; is 8 per 1,000 residents. This is about average for all cities and towns in America of all population sizes.