Kentucky Crime Rate & Safety (2024)

FBI-verified crime statistics | Population: 1,619,359 | 0 reporting agencies

Violent Crime Rate

404.1
-15%
per 100K residents

Property Crime Rate

2,468.7
+8%
per 100K residents

Total Crime Rate

2,872.7
#31 of 50
Ranked #31 of 50 states
Source: FBI UCR 2024 Government-Verified Data

Kentucky Crime Overview

In 2024, Kentucky reported a total crime rate of 2,872.7 per 100,000 residents — 4% near the national average of 2,752.3. This ranks Kentucky #31 out of 50 states (safest first).

The most elevated crime category in Kentucky is murder at 1.8x the national rate.

Compared to the previous year, Kentucky's crime rate decreased by 10%, with violent crime down 6.5%.

Within the state, Independence is the safest city (crime rate: 343), while St. Matthews has the highest rate (5,223).

Crime Breakdown

Crime Type Incidents Rate per 100K National Avg
Violent Crime 6,543 404.1 473.3
Murder 184 11.4 6.2
Rape 629 38.8 43.4
Robbery 1,191 73.6 93.0
Aggravated Assault 4,522 279.3 330.0
Property Crime 39,977 2,468.7 2,279.1
Burglary 5,217 322.2 287.8
Larceny-Theft 27,489 1,697.5 1,638.9
Motor Vehicle Theft 7,271 449.0 352.4
Arson 0 0.0 0.0

Cities in Kentucky by Crime Rate

Cities ranked from safest to most dangerous (population 10,000+).

# City Population Total Crime Rate Violent Crime Rate Safety Score
1 Independence 29,747 342.9 26.9 93/100
2 Fort Thomas 16,826 534.9 47.6 90/100
3 Mount Washington 18,811 590.1 31.9 89/100
4 Erlanger 19,827 595.2 70.6 89/100
5 Lawrenceburg 12,241 596.4 57.2 89/100
6 Madisonville 19,294 689.3 98.5 87/100
7 Alexandria 10,778 779.4 55.7 85/100
8 Versailles 27,727 825.9 68.5 84/100
9 Elizabethtown 33,522 838.3 140.2 84/100
10 Berea 16,135 935.9 86.8 82/100
11 Paris 10,057 944.6 139.2 82/100
12 La Grange 10,537 977.5 66.4 82/100
13 Franklin 10,556 1,023.1 142.1 81/100
14 Shelbyville 17,959 1,141.5 133.6 79/100
15 Danville 17,406 1,154.8 109.2 79/100
16 Georgetown 40,037 1,293.8 124.9 76/100
17 Campbellsville 11,724 1,305.0 230.3 76/100
18 Somerset 12,367 1,334.2 258.8 75/100
19 Murray 18,191 1,528.2 99.0 72/100
20 Bardstown 13,917 1,559.2 165.3 71/100
21 Nicholasville 32,866 1,609.6 112.6 70/100
22 Frankfort 28,177 1,845.5 202.3 66/100
23 Covington 40,984 1,922.7 287.9 65/100
24 Shepherdsville 14,843 1,926.8 134.7 64/100
25 Henderson 27,600 2,134.1 318.8 61/100
26 Radcliff 22,658 2,171.4 172.1 60/100
27 Richmond 38,072 2,188.0 215.4 60/100
28 Glasgow 15,413 2,277.3 168.7 58/100
29 Jeffersontown 28,563 2,380.7 105.0 56/100
30 Graymoor-Devondale 10,877 2,629.4 101.1 52/100
31 Ashland 21,011 2,703.4 199.9 50/100
32 Hopkinsville 30,694 2,958.2 452.9 46/100
33 Winchester 19,283 2,966.3 171.1 46/100
34 Paducah 26,624 3,064.9 270.4 44/100
35 Bowling Green 77,503 3,153.4 224.5 42/100
36 Owensboro 60,096 3,266.4 349.4 40/100
37 Florence 33,208 3,445.0 231.9 37/100
38 Shively 15,394 3,592.3 311.8 34/100
39 Louisville Metro 676,843 4,034.8 708.6 26/100
40 Newport 13,702 4,167.3 328.4 24/100
41 St. Matthews 17,289 5,223.0 127.3 5/100

Kentucky Crime Rate Trends

Year Population Total Crime Rate Violent Crime Rate Property Crime Rate
2024 1,619,359 2,872.7 404.1 2,468.7
2023 1,603,213 3,192.6 432.0 2,760.6
2022 1,599,284 2,909.7 409.5 2,500.2
2021 1,544,917 3,336.7 549.6 2,787.1
2020 1,536,819 3,704.1 540.5 3,163.6
2019 1,534,342 3,719.7 414.0 3,305.7

Kentucky vs Neighboring States

How does Kentucky's crime rate compare to its neighbors?

State Total Crime Rate Violent Crime Rate Property Crime Rate vs Kentucky
Kentucky 2,872.7 404.1 2,468.7 —
Indiana 1,292.5 235.7 1,056.8 -55.0%
Illinois 2,482.9 356.4 2,126.5 -13.6%
Ohio 2,571.1 437.5 2,133.6 -10.5%
Virginia 2,725.5 338.9 2,386.6 -5.1%
West Virginia 3,489.6 498.5 2,991.1 +21.5%
Missouri 3,621.5 679.8 2,941.8 +26.1%
Tennessee 4,198.5 916.8 3,281.7 +46.1%

Among neighboring states, Indiana has the lowest crime rate (1,293 per 100K). Tennessee has the highest (4,198 per 100K).

More Kentucky Crime Data

Safest cities in Kentucky Most dangerous cities in Kentucky All state crime statistics