CrimeMetric

Crime in Kentucky

Major crime across Kentucky is 15% below the U.S. rate per resident: 36% lower for persons crimes and 10% lower for property crimes. That is the 34th highest of the 50 states and DC. Expected major crimes are down 5.9% from a year earlier. Of the 121 places below, 27 are more than 5% above the statewide rate.

Major crime
85
15% below the U.S. rate
1,463 per 100,000
down 5.9% in a year
Persons crimes
64
36% below the U.S. rate
199 per 100,000
down 9.7% in a year
Property crimes
90
10% below the U.S. rate
1,265 per 100,000
down 5.3% in a year
Social disorder
99
about the U.S. rate
2,302 per 100,000
down 5.8% in a year
Cities and places

Larger places in Kentucky, against the U.S. and the state

Major-crime index per resident; the U.S. rate is 100.

Highest major-crime index

  1. Louisville342
  2. Louisville/Jefferson County190
  3. Owensboro154
  4. Hopkinsville144
  5. Lexington-Fayette142

Lowest major-crime index

  1. Independence27
  2. Elizabethtown40
  3. Georgetown68
  4. Henderson86
  5. Nicholasville87

Among the 17 places in Kentucky of 25,000 or more residents that we publish.

PlaceIndexAgainst Kentucky
Louisville/Jefferson County1902.2 times
Lexington-Fayette1421.7 times
Louisville3424.0 times
Bowling Green1351.6 times
Owensboro1541.8 times
Richmond11434% higher
Georgetown6820% lower
Covington939% higher
Elizabethtown4053% lower
Independence2768% lower
Nicholasville87about the same
Florence11939% higher
Hopkinsville1441.7 times
Frankfort9815% higher
Jeffersontown1351.6 times
Henderson86about the same
Paducah12142% higher
Mount Washington2471% lower
Madisonville3262% lower
Radcliff10624% higher
Winchester12849% higher
Ashland11737% higher
Shelbyville4548% lower
Murray6821% lower
Burlington2966% lower
St. Matthews2392.8 times
Danville4943% lower
Shively1651.9 times
Berea4251% lower
Shepherdsville87about the same
Erlanger2670% lower
Glasgow10625% higher
Somerset6227% lower
Bardstown83about the same
Alexandria4548% lower
Newport2452.9 times
Versailles89about the same
Elsmere3855% lower
Campbellsville7216% lower
Harrodsburg4942% lower
Francisville2967% lower
La Grange6030% lower
Fort Campbell North2274% lower
Lyndon1291.5 times
Paris6425% lower
Middletown1601.9 times
Mayfield10321% higher
Franklin4053% lower
Oakbrook1879% lower
Maysville11333% higher

The 50 largest places in Kentucky, largest first.

All 121 places in Kentucky

Every place in Kentucky with a page, A to Z.

Crime by type

Drugs and alcohol and intimidation stand out most, at about 46% above the U.S. rate

Every block group in Kentucky, including towns and unincorporated areas: the index against the U.S. rate per resident, and expected crimes a year per 100,000 residents.

Persons crimes

Rape / sexual assault10133.7
Murder722.6
Aggravated assault60138
Robbery5724.6

Property crimes

Other larceny102509
Motor vehicle theft95151
Burglary91149
Shoplifting78248
Theft from vehicle78207

Social disorder

Drugs and alcohol146726
Intimidation143326
Disorderly conduct102121
Trespassing102238
Vandalism88361
Simple assault64468
Weapons violations6261.6

How crime varies across Kentucky

Share of Kentucky residents by the major-crime index of their census block group.

  • 0–5060.8%
  • 50–10016.4%
  • 100–20013.0%
  • 200–4007.0%
  • 400+2.9%

99.5% of Kentucky residents live where agencies send detailed incident reports to the FBI. Data sources

3,581 block groups and 4,642,632 residents. How the estimates are made