Children And Youth
Youth Arrests


Youth Arrests

What does this measure?

The number of arrests of youth ages 10-24 arrested for Group A offenses, expressed per 10,000 youth. Group A offenses include assault, theft, vandalism, homicide, sexual offenses and weapons violations.

Why is this important?

Youth arrests serve to remove offenders that may cause harm to other youth or the community. However, the likelihood of not completing high school or being incarcerated as an adult is higher for people arrested as youths, and can be affected by their age at the time of first arrest, frequency of subsequent arrests and incarceration. Interaction with the justice system at a young age may also cause a youth to be labeled in the community, reducing opportunities for future work and higher education.

How is our county doing?

In 2021, there were more than 1,700 youth arrests in Essex County, for a rate of 22 per 10,000. This was above the state rate of 15 in 2021. While Essex County's rate has fluctuated over time, the trend is decreasing from a high of 48 per 100,000 in 2007. Within Essex County, Haverhill and Lawrence had the highest rate (at 65 and 48 per 10,000 youths respectively), followed by West Newbury (27) in 2021.

How do we compare to other counties?

Essex County's rate was higher than in Middlesex, MA at 11 per 10,000 in 2021.

Notes on the data

Comparable data was not available for Lake, IL and Westchester, NY.

Youth Arrests
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021
Essex County, MA47.745.641.141.138.937.139.434.930.228.123.320.118.719.922.2
Amesbury82.460.361.166.371.254.434.022.641.922.815.322.113.620.59.7
Beverly50.452.831.438.024.529.324.130.214.114.88.28.88.33.35.2
Gloucester23.613.276.0150.8184.4127.1120.044.633.638.238.440.228.320.021.3
Haverhill80.483.277.176.284.191.688.699.178.571.956.863.358.753.465.5
Lawrence46.648.4
Lynn84.270.659.045.140.638.943.738.239.845.032.125.521.722.822.3
Methuen51.764.743.336.039.437.147.846.741.733.929.427.426.213.422.0
Newburyport41.568.630.732.232.535.147.834.731.723.324.918.219.310.419.1
Peabody84.287.191.873.470.054.251.255.444.244.229.022.920.116.621.7
Salem28.276.768.550.939.935.523.635.224.819.9
Andover50.057.142.722.313.09.413.220.618.113.217.89.94.71.14.1
Boxford2.54.92.45.02.52.53.71.21.21.21.2
Danvers116.491.479.775.169.968.861.647.355.343.229.823.822.417.818.2
Essex5.25.2
Georgetown24.137.926.522.726.031.714.013.920.711.416.05.710.2
Groveland48.931.936.249.59.011.815.116.510.48.97.34.44.410.22.9
Hamilton55.13.74.89.029.927.314.84.911.07.311.02.55.05.06.2
Ipswich26.412.04.511.43.73.77.36.60.713.09.312.117.06.47.8
Lynnfield29.221.924.117.217.122.016.96.37.88.54.66.19.96.95.3
Manchester7.85.81.95.83.911.57.61.93.79.311.07.41.83.73.7
Marblehead22.723.18.010.613.019.48.97.86.84.99.23.41.90.54.4
Merrimac44.830.822.720.521.827.643.925.316.211.712.91.41.45.7
Middleton4.52.22.21.12.12.115.44.116.35.07.92.06.9
Nahant16.813.816.517.68.823.22.98.68.65.711.42.82.98.6
Newbury53.181.965.125.526.728.130.633.328.735.731.116.818.28.412.6
North Andover28.532.328.546.623.823.221.916.921.217.121.621.718.112.17.0
Rockport21.113.116.912.911.411.32.89.85.64.26.94.15.511.05.5
Rowley29.847.032.623.918.628.533.230.720.733.120.411.07.86.110.8
Salisbury100.6108.674.2138.887.2102.1113.351.842.173.253.622.020.913.515.6
Saugus39.743.041.236.430.421.916.622.217.510.014.97.78.55.36.0
Swampscott24.415.017.831.227.410.117.220.714.58.918.08.511.19.79.7
Topsfield16.51.611.53.21.61.66.19.17.612.17.513.56.0
Wenham16.933.829.524.610.122.011.71.97.73.83.83.85.7
West Newbury79.348.340.835.451.129.822.520.02.28.715.08.531.871.727.4
Middlesex County, MA24.133.429.729.129.626.924.922.020.520.218.816.514.711.110.9
Massachusetts47.454.346.045.142.239.136.432.027.226.423.819.818.115.615.1

Source: Massachusetts State Police
Notes: Rates per 10,000 youth ages 12 to 24




Number of Youth Arrests
200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021
Essex County, MA3,4973,3623,0533,0522,9242,8063,0072,6872,3402,1851,8311,5881,4771,5721,754
Amesbury13610010210811790573973402739243617
Beverly199209124150981189812458613437351422
Gloucester7140232434535371353132100114115122866165
Haverhill488509475464517566550618493452359405375342419
Lawrence373387
Lynn732615516407369355401352368416299241205215210
Methuen22628519217018817823223020716914813913368112
Newburyport7212054565762856257424533351935
Peabody43244847537636128126729023223215312210788115
Salem11932729321817115410315310786
Andover16619114474443246726447643617415
Boxford24242231111
Danvers3132472171991881861681311541218466624950
Essex22
Georgetown213122192227121218101459
Groveland342327326810117653372
Hamilton4534724221249692445
Ipswich351661555109118131724911
Lynnfield3325292020262181011681397
Manchester431326412564122
Marblehead45461621263918161410197419
Merrimac29201513141829171189114
Middleton422122154165827
Nahant65663813324113
Newbury3656451718192123202522121369
North Andover7889791326766645063516768573822
Rockport161013988274353484
Rowley17271914111720191321137547
Salisbury8593641157386974539695121201315
Saugus107118115978260466249284222241517
Swampscott342125433814242921132713171515
Topsfield10172114658594
Wenham81614125116142223
West Newbury3421181522131091474153413
Middlesex County, MA3,5594,9744,4674,3744,5094,1353,8853,4523,2523,2233,0122,6732,3771,7971,755
Massachusetts30,81135,54930,31829,52327,87725,97624,18221,43218,35617,97416,29313,69512,48210,76110,417

Source: Massachusetts State Police




INDICATORS TREND | ESSEX COUNTY
People 65 or Older Living Alone Decreasing
Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Prevalence of Overweight Adults Not Applicable
Preterm Births Increasing
Infant Mortality Rate Maintaining
Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels Decreasing
Children Living in Poverty Increasing
Children Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Disengaged Youth Maintaining
Live Births to Teen Mothers Decreasing
Youth Arrests Decreasing
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Establishments Maintaining
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Employment Maintaining
Tourism Spending Increasing
Voter Participation Rate Increasing
Charitable Contributions Maintaining
Protected Land Not Applicable
Days with Good Air Quality Increasing
Beach Contamination Increasing
Daily Water Use per Resident Decreasing
Crimes Against People Maintaining
Crimes Against Property Decreasing
Drug-Related Arrests Maintaining
Reports of Domestic Violence Increasing
Incarceration Rates Decreasing
Recidivism Decreasing
Households Without Vehicles Decreasing
Means of Transportation to Work Not Applicable
Traffic Injuries and Fatalities Maintaining
Households With Internet Access Not Applicable
Change in Total Population Increasing
Change in Population by Age/Sex Not Applicable
People with Disabilities Maintaining
Households by Type Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Sex Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Foreign-Born Population Increasing
Language Diversity Increasing
Change in Total Jobs Increasing
Change in Jobs by Sector Not Applicable
Change in Average Salary Increasing
Change in Average Salary by Sector Not Applicable
Average Salary by Sector Not Applicable
Median Earnings by Occupation by Gender Not Applicable
People Entering/Leaving County for Work Not Applicable
Employer Size Not Applicable
Self-Employment Revenue Increasing
Business Ownership by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate Increasing
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Prekindergarten Participation Not Applicable
Female Enrollment in School Not Applicable
Chronically Absent Students Increasing
Per-Student Spending Increasing
Bullying Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 3 Reading Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math by Student Group Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 English Language Arts Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 Math Not Applicable
High School Cohort Graduation Rate Increasing
High School Cohort Graduation Rate by Student Group Not Applicable
Education Levels of Adults Not Applicable
Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Income in Relation to Poverty Level Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income Increasing
Median Household Income by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income by Household Type Not Applicable
Living Wage Rate by Household Type Not Applicable
Access to Financial Services, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Households Receiving Temporary Assistance Increasing
Households Receiving Federal Food Assistance Increasing
Participation in Food Assistance by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Earned Income Tax Credit Participation Decreasing
Economically Disadvantaged Students Increasing
Median Home Value Increasing
Cost of Homeownership Increasing
Cost of Renting Increasing
Homeownership Rates Maintaining
Homeownership Rates by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Homeless Persons Maintaining
People Without Health Insurance Decreasing
Medical Care Expenses Increasing
Prevalence of Children with Asthma Maintaining
Prevalence of Overweight Children Maintaining
Diabetes Incidence Decreasing
Chronic Disease Among Older Adults Increasing
Cancer Incidence Decreasing
Cancer Mortality Rate Decreasing
Heart Disease Mortality Rate Decreasing
Mortality Rate Decreasing
People who Smoke Not Applicable
Use of Illegal Drugs Not Applicable
Youth Use of Illegal Drugs Not Applicable
Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions Not Applicable
Drug Overdose Mortality Rate Increasing
Prevalence of Mental Illness Maintaining
Suicide Rate Maintaining
Children Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 3 Reading Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math by Student Group Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 English Language Arts Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 Math Not Applicable
High School Cohort Graduation Rate by Student Group Not Applicable
Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Participation in Food Assistance by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Homeownership Rates by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable