crimebycounty

Kentucky Crime & Safety

Reported crime rates, safety scores, and FBI UCR coverage for all 120 counties.

FBI UCR data

Avg Violent Crime Rate

78.0

per 100K

Avg Property Crime Rate

708.0

per 100K

Counties with Crime Rates

120/120

100% coverage

County crime atlas

Kentucky crime patterns by county

A state-level 2.5D view of reported county crime rates. Heights and color intensity are scaled within Kentucky, with extreme outliers capped visually so the county-by-county pattern stays readable without loading the full national explorer.

Counties

120

Coverage

100%

Data year

2022

State crime brief

What stands out in Kentucky

The average county-level total crime rate is 786.0 per 100,000 residents, 66% below the national county benchmark.

Owsley County reports 24.7 total crimes per 100,000 residents, while Jefferson County reports 3621.5. That spread is why county-level lookup matters more than a single statewide average.

120 of 120 counties have full or partial FBI UCR coverage in the current build, with 436 reporting agencies represented.

Data coverage

120/120

counties with total crime rates

Reporting agencies

436

represented in the FBI UCR data

Primary year

2022

most common county crime data year

County average vs. national benchmark

Unweighted county averages, shown per 100,000 residents.

Total crime

66% below national benchmark.

786.0

National 2335.1

Violent crime

80% below national benchmark.

78.0

National 380.7

Property crime

64% below national benchmark.

708.0

National 1954.4

Safety score distribution

Low reported crime73 counties

61% of counties. Safety score 70 or higher.

Middle range28 counties

23% of counties. Safety score from 40 to 69.

Elevated reported crime19 counties

16% of counties. Safety score below 40.

Pending score0 counties

0% of counties. Safety score unavailable.

Reporting coverage

Partial agency coverage120

100%. Some agencies reported, so rates can understate local conditions.

Lowest reported total crime

  1. Owsley County

    Rank #1 in this list

    24.7 per 100K

  2. Robertson County

    Rank #2 in this list

    45.3 per 100K

  3. Letcher County

    Rank #3 in this list

    93.1 per 100K

  4. Magoffin County

    Rank #4 in this list

    103.0 per 100K

  5. Casey County

    Rank #5 in this list

    112.9 per 100K

Highest reported total crime

  1. Jefferson County

    Rank #1 in this list

    3621.5 per 100K

  2. Fayette County

    Rank #2 in this list

    3221.2 per 100K

  3. Warren County

    Rank #3 in this list

    2802.5 per 100K

  4. Daviess County

    Rank #4 in this list

    2569.1 per 100K

  5. Clark County

    Rank #5 in this list

    2366.1 per 100K

Highest reported violent crime

  1. Jefferson County

    Rank #1 in this list

    633.7 per 100K

  2. Fayette County

    Rank #2 in this list

    291.0 per 100K

  3. Daviess County

    Rank #3 in this list

    237.1 per 100K

  4. Christian County

    Rank #4 in this list

    222.6 per 100K

  5. Warren County

    Rank #5 in this list

    213.6 per 100K

All Kentucky Counties

CountySafety Score
Owsley County94/100
Robertson County94/100
Letcher County93/100
Magoffin County93/100
Casey County92/100
McCreary County92/100
Martin County92/100
Leslie County92/100
Clinton County91/100
Trimble County91/100
Lewis County91/100
Knott County90/100
Monroe County90/100
Cumberland County90/100
Adair County89/100
Johnson County89/100
Floyd County88/100
Hancock County88/100
Rockcastle County88/100
Elliott County87/100
Wolfe County87/100
Hickman County87/100
Harlan County87/100
Menifee County87/100
Bracken County87/100
Edmonson County86/100
Perry County86/100
Carlisle County86/100
McLean County86/100
Greenup County85/100
Breathitt County85/100
Hart County85/100
Lee County85/100
Washington County85/100
Lincoln County85/100
Powell County84/100
Spencer County84/100
Whitley County84/100
Butler County84/100
Morgan County84/100
Nicholas County84/100
Anderson County84/100
Pike County83/100
Estill County83/100
Green County82/100
Russell County82/100
Breckinridge County82/100
Gallatin County82/100
Owen County81/100
Fleming County81/100
Jackson County80/100
Larue County80/100
Lyon County80/100
Webster County80/100
Metcalfe County79/100
Bath County78/100
Meade County78/100
Henry County77/100
Carter County77/100
Pendleton County76/100
Harrison County76/100
Lawrence County76/100
Crittenden County75/100
Clay County75/100
Mercer County75/100
Grant County74/100
Union County73/100
Ballard County73/100
Trigg County73/100
Carroll County71/100
Marion County71/100
Grayson County71/100
Allen County71/100
Wayne County69/100
Livingston County66/100
Ohio County66/100
Todd County66/100
Muhlenberg County65/100
Pulaski County65/100
Oldham County64/100
Nelson County64/100
Hopkins County62/100
Rowan County61/100
Garrard County59/100
Marshall County58/100
Kenton County58/100
Shelby County57/100
Caldwell County57/100
Bullitt County56/100
Hardin County55/100
Logan County55/100
Knox County54/100
Woodford County53/100
Barren County53/100
Bourbon County53/100
Laurel County50/100
Boyle County50/100
Graves County49/100
Taylor County45/100
Campbell County45/100
Scott County43/100
Calloway County40/100
Madison County37/100
Jessamine County34/100
Franklin County31/100
Boyd County31/100
Boone County30/100
McCracken County30/100
Mason County28/100
Montgomery County27/100
Henderson County27/100
Simpson County25/100
Bell County21/100
Fulton County18/100
Christian County15/100
Clark County15/100
Daviess County13/100
Warren County10/100
Fayette County6/100
Jefferson County5/100

Crime rates per 100K population. — = data pending.

Crime data questions

How to read Kentucky crime data

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Kentucky county has the lowest reported crime rate?
Owsley County has the lowest reported total crime rate in the current Kentucky county dataset at 24.7 incidents per 100,000 residents. Use this as a reported county-level benchmark, not a neighborhood-level guarantee.
Which Kentucky county has the highest reported crime rate?
Jefferson County has the highest reported total crime rate in the current Kentucky county dataset at 3621.5 incidents per 100,000 residents. Per-capita rates can be volatile in small counties, so compare the rate with coverage, agency count, and local law enforcement sources.
How does Kentucky compare with the national crime benchmark?
Kentucky's unweighted county-average total crime rate is 786.0 per 100,000 residents, 66% below national benchmark. The national benchmark shown on this page is 2335.1 per 100,000 residents.
Is violent crime or property crime more common in Kentucky?
Property crime makes up about 90% of the average reported county crime mix in Kentucky, while violent crime makes up about 10%. These shares are based on county-level rates in the available FBI UCR dataset.
How complete is the FBI UCR data for Kentucky?
120 of 120 Kentucky counties have total crime rates in the current build. The page also lists coverage labels so readers can distinguish full, partial, homicide-only, unavailable, and unlabeled reporting.
Which Kentucky county has the highest reported violent crime rate?
Jefferson County has the highest reported violent crime rate in the current Kentucky county dataset at 633.7 incidents per 100,000 residents. Violent crime can be highly localized, so use county comparisons as a starting point for local research.

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Data Sources

Crime data sourced from the FBI Crime Data Explorer (UCR) and County Health Rankings. Safety scores are derived composite metrics.

Data is informational only. Not legal or security advice. Coverage varies by county and reporting year.

← Back to All StatesSafest Counties in KentuckyHighest Reported Crime Counties in Kentucky

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