Kentucky’s Safest Cities of 2024

See crime rates for the safest cities.

Kentucky’s crime rates fall below national averages and is among the lowest in the country, and both violent crime and property crime decreased year over year. It seems that Kentuckians could sense the downward turn, as the percentage of State of Safety Survey respondents that are highly worried about crime and safety dropped 26% in our latest poll. However, the percentage who told us they feel safe in their state fell from 48% to 39%.

Kentucky’s violent crime rate of 2.7 incidents per 1,000 people is the eighth-lowest in the nation. Kentucky also boasts a property crime rate that’s the twelfth-lowest in the US, coming in at 16.0 incidents per 1,000 people. Both rates dropped year over year.

Kentuckians report the eighteenth-lowest level of concern about property crime—48%, down from 55% last year (US 52%).

That lines up with the fact that property crime decreased by 4% year over year in Kentucky—the second year in a row we've seen a decline in per capita property crime in The Bluegrass State.

• Kentucky sees 16.0 property crime incidents per 1,000 people, compared to 20.7 nationwide.
• Property crime is the least-worrisome crime issue in Kentucky, with 48% of survey respondents worrying about it every day (US 52%).
• Burglaries make up a larger proportion of all property crime in Kentucky—16% versus 13% nationwide.
• 32% of Kentucky respondents increased their security measures in the 12 months prior to our survey.
• Of the Kentuckians who use some form of property protection (70%), most use security cameras (38%), followed by firearms and guard dogs with 31% each.

• Package theft is the most worrisome crime issue in Kentucky, with more than 6 in 10 survey respondents (62%) telling us they worry about it regularly—making Kentucky the fifth-most worried state when it comes to porch pirates.
• 31% of Kentuckians experienced a package theft during the 12 months prior to our survey, which is the tenth-lowest percentage in the nation and represents a year-over-year decrease of 21%.
• Of the Kentuckians with a package theft prevention strategy (71%), most rely on instructing delivery people to leave packages in a safe spot (28%), followed by doorbell cameras (24%) and verified delivery (31%).

According to our State of Safety survey, 59% of respondents feel concerned about violent crime—above the national average of 50% and the twelfth-highest level of concern in the nation. About 14% of Kentucky residents reportedly experienced violent crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, which is lower than the national average of 15% and represents a decrease of 18% year over year. 

• After a slight increase last year, Kentucky's violent crime rate fell this year from 208 to 2.7 incidents per 1,000 people.
• Violent crime accounts for 14% of all crime in Kentucky, which is lower than the national average of 16%. However, robberies, rapes, and murders make up a larger percentage of Kentucky’s violent crimes than the national averages.
• 3 in 4 Kentucky respondents (76%) think crime is rising overall, slightly above the national average of 73%.
• 38% of Kentuckians use some form of personal protection (US 36%) with concealed firearms and pocket knives leading the way at 45% each.

• 57% of Kentuckians worry about gun violence (51% US).
• Despite (or perhaps because of) high concern about gun violence, Kentuckians rely on firearms as one of their top choices for both personal and property protection.
• 12% of survey respondents experienced gun violence in the 12 months prior to our survey (US 12%), which is a 33% decline year over year. 
• 8 mass shooting events occurred in Kentucky during 2023, which is one fewer than in 2022.

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 110 Kentucky cities met the criteria for ranking this year, and 11 cities are appearing in the top 20 for the first time.
• Edgewood rose 7 positions to land at number 1. 
• Edgewood, Southgate, and Park Hills each reported 0 violent crimes—and all 20 cities reported fewer than 1 violent crime per 1,000 people.
• There were no murders reported by Kentucky's 20 safest cities.
• Taylor Mill and Morganfield each reported zero burglaries.
• All 20 cities reported fewer than 100 total property crimes each.
• Wilder made the most dramatic improvement year over year, jumping 28 spots to nab the twentieth spot.
• Erlanger is the most populous city among the top 20, making it's low per capita crime rates even more impressive.

• 100 Safest Cities in the U.S.
• 10 Safest Big Cities in the U.S.
• Best Home Security Systems
• Best Home Security Cameras
• Best Video Doorbell Cameras
• Burglary Stats & Facts
• Over 50% Of All Burglaries Are Residential—How To Protect Your Family
• The Best Personal Safety Devices for Every Situation

Find all endnotes and sources in our full methodology.

FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed March 18, 2024.

• 2022 and 2021 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
  • Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
• 2022 NIBRS Estimation Tables

Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed March 18, 2024.

Gun Violence Archive, "Mass Shootings." Accessed March 18, 2023.