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KYKentucky rankings

Safest towns in Kentucky

Ranked by crime reported to police per 1,000 residents, averaged over 2023–2025, with violent crimes counted four times as heavily as property crimes. Lower is safer. 118 towns with 2,500+ residents whose police reported every year.

U.S. Census ACS 2020–2024 5-year

Junction City 1 Junction City 0.4 Violent 0.0 per 1,000 Tompkinsville 2 Tompkinsville 1.8 Violent 0.2 per 1,000 Map of Eddyville 3 Eddyville 2.1 Violent 0.1 per 1,000
#TownWeighted crime rateViolentProperty
1 Junction City Junction City2,643 people 0.4 0.0 per 1,000 0.4 per 1,000
2 Tompkinsville Tompkinsville2,613 people 1.8 0.2 per 1,000 1.2 per 1,000
3 Map of Eddyville Eddyville2,897 people 2.1 0.1 per 1,000 1.5 per 1,000
4 Providence Providence2,857 people 4.3 0.5 per 1,000 2.4 per 1,000
5 Map of Williamstown Williamstown3,945 people 5.3 0.3 per 1,000 3.9 per 1,000
6 Independence Independence29,392 people 5.3 0.5 per 1,000 3.3 per 1,000
7 Flatwoods Flatwoods7,269 people 5.3 0.6 per 1,000 2.9 per 1,000
8 Paintsville Paintsville4,203 people 5.4 0.7 per 1,000 2.4 per 1,000
9 Map of Taylor Mill Taylor Mill6,937 people 5.8 0.5 per 1,000 3.7 per 1,000
10 Map of Vine Grove Vine Grove6,830 people 5.8 0.6 per 1,000 3.3 per 1,000
11 Beaver Dam Beaver Dam3,524 people 6.0 0.6 per 1,000 3.7 per 1,000
12 Columbia Columbia4,808 people 6.0 1.0 per 1,000 1.9 per 1,000
13 Wilmore Wilmore6,057 people 6.1 0.2 per 1,000 5.5 per 1,000
14 Anchorage Anchorage2,506 people 6.2 0.3 per 1,000 5.1 per 1,000
15 Map of Mount Washington Mount Washington18,480 people 6.6 0.4 per 1,000 5.1 per 1,000
16 Map of Prospect Prospect4,542 people 6.8 0.1 per 1,000 6.5 per 1,000
17 Fort Thomas Fort Thomas17,169 people 6.8 0.5 per 1,000 4.9 per 1,000
18 Map of Edgewood Edgewood8,447 people 7.1 0.8 per 1,000 4.1 per 1,000
19 West Liberty West Liberty3,295 people 7.2 1.0 per 1,000 3.3 per 1,000
20 Map of Pioneer Village Pioneer Village2,723 people 7.4 0.4 per 1,000 5.9 per 1,000
21 Map of Fort Wright Fort Wright5,887 people 7.6 0.7 per 1,000 4.9 per 1,000
22 Map of Stanford Stanford3,643 people 7.7 0.9 per 1,000 4.1 per 1,000
23 Erlanger Erlanger19,875 people 8.0 0.9 per 1,000 4.3 per 1,000
24 Map of Lawrenceburg Lawrenceburg11,943 people 8.0 0.6 per 1,000 5.8 per 1,000
25 Map of Greenville Greenville4,410 people 8.2 1.2 per 1,000 3.3 per 1,000
26 Cave City Cave City2,730 people 9.0 0.8 per 1,000 5.6 per 1,000
27 Map of Carrollton Carrollton3,915 people 9.2 0.9 per 1,000 5.5 per 1,000
28 Alexandria Alexandria10,562 people 9.3 0.6 per 1,000 6.8 per 1,000
29 Park Hills Park Hills3,165 people 9.4 1.4 per 1,000 3.9 per 1,000
30 Hartford Hartford2,649 people 9.5 1.3 per 1,000 4.4 per 1,000
31 Irvine Irvine2,723 people 9.7 1.0 per 1,000 5.6 per 1,000
32 Versailles Versailles10,492 people 9.9 0.6 per 1,000 7.5 per 1,000
33 Fort Mitchell Fort Mitchell8,713 people 10.0 0.5 per 1,000 8.0 per 1,000
34 Springfield Springfield2,899 people 10.2 1.5 per 1,000 4.3 per 1,000
35 Stanton Stanton3,218 people 10.4 0.8 per 1,000 7.0 per 1,000
36 Flemingsburg Flemingsburg2,965 people 10.5 0.6 per 1,000 8.2 per 1,000
37 Brandenburg Brandenburg2,937 people 11.0 0.7 per 1,000 8.3 per 1,000
38 Map of Southgate Southgate3,717 people 11.1 0.9 per 1,000 7.6 per 1,000
39 Map of Madisonville Madisonville19,515 people 11.1 1.2 per 1,000 6.4 per 1,000
40 Prestonsburg Prestonsburg3,765 people 11.1 1.5 per 1,000 5.3 per 1,000
41 Map of Villa Hills Villa Hills7,480 people 11.2 0.9 per 1,000 7.7 per 1,000
42 Highland Heights Highland Heights6,444 people 11.7 0.7 per 1,000 9.0 per 1,000
43 Map of Wilder Wilder3,135 people 11.9 1.2 per 1,000 7.1 per 1,000
44 Berea Berea15,786 people 12.1 1.1 per 1,000 7.9 per 1,000
45 La Grange La Grange10,311 people 12.3 0.5 per 1,000 10.2 per 1,000
46 Map of Elsmere Elsmere9,205 people 12.5 1.4 per 1,000 7.1 per 1,000
47 Elizabethtown Elizabethtown32,576 people 12.5 1.3 per 1,000 7.5 per 1,000
48 Map of Russell Russell3,676 people 12.7 1.1 per 1,000 8.3 per 1,000
49 Cadiz Cadiz2,677 people 12.8 0.7 per 1,000 9.9 per 1,000
50 Central City Central City5,707 people 12.8 0.9 per 1,000 9.4 per 1,000
51 Map of Williamsburg Williamsburg5,270 people 13.7 1.9 per 1,000 6.2 per 1,000
52 Shelbyville Shelbyville17,668 people 13.7 1.0 per 1,000 9.7 per 1,000
53 Russell Springs Russell Springs2,773 people 13.9 1.8 per 1,000 6.8 per 1,000
54 Map of Bellevue Bellevue5,636 people 13.9 1.0 per 1,000 10.0 per 1,000
55 Map of Ludlow Ludlow4,378 people 14.3 1.2 per 1,000 9.4 per 1,000
56 Marion Marion2,886 people 14.5 0.8 per 1,000 11.2 per 1,000
57 Benton Benton4,748 people 14.5 0.4 per 1,000 12.8 per 1,000
58 Lancaster Lancaster4,013 people 14.8 1.6 per 1,000 8.6 per 1,000
59 Map of Eminence Eminence2,724 people 15.1 0.6 per 1,000 12.7 per 1,000
60 Map of Morganfield Morganfield3,185 people 15.1 1.3 per 1,000 10.0 per 1,000
61 Monticello Monticello5,753 people 15.3 1.3 per 1,000 9.9 per 1,000
62 Map of Dayton Dayton5,743 people 15.8 1.9 per 1,000 8.3 per 1,000
63 Barbourville Barbourville3,146 people 15.8 2.2 per 1,000 7.2 per 1,000
64 Lebanon Lebanon6,430 people 16.0 1.4 per 1,000 10.3 per 1,000
65 Map of Danville Danville17,327 people 16.2 1.2 per 1,000 11.4 per 1,000
66 Leitchfield Leitchfield6,819 people 16.8 1.2 per 1,000 12.0 per 1,000
67 Georgetown Georgetown39,117 people 17.2 1.4 per 1,000 11.8 per 1,000
68 Map of Scottsville Scottsville4,427 people 17.2 1.6 per 1,000 10.8 per 1,000
69 Map of Russellville Russellville7,316 people 17.3 1.4 per 1,000 11.9 per 1,000
70 Corbin Corbin8,246 people 17.6 1.6 per 1,000 11.4 per 1,000
71 Murray Murray18,080 people 17.6 1.0 per 1,000 13.5 per 1,000
72 Louisa Louisa2,580 people 17.7 1.8 per 1,000 10.4 per 1,000
73 Hazard Hazard5,008 people 18.2 2.2 per 1,000 9.3 per 1,000
74 Map of Franklin Franklin10,360 people 18.7 1.5 per 1,000 12.9 per 1,000
75 Map of Indian Hills Indian Hills2,897 people 18.9 0.0 per 1,000 18.9 per 1,000
76 Map of Cynthiana Cynthiana6,458 people 19.1 1.4 per 1,000 13.5 per 1,000
77 Paris Paris10,160 people 19.3 2.0 per 1,000 11.2 per 1,000
78 Harrodsburg Harrodsburg9,313 people 19.4 2.7 per 1,000 8.6 per 1,000
79 Pikeville Pikeville7,490 people 19.5 1.4 per 1,000 13.9 per 1,000
80 Map of Hillview Hillview8,797 people 19.8 1.3 per 1,000 14.6 per 1,000
81 Map of Cold Spring Cold Spring6,341 people 20.0 0.8 per 1,000 16.9 per 1,000
82 Map of Campbellsville Campbellsville11,622 people 20.3 1.9 per 1,000 12.8 per 1,000
83 Mount Sterling Mount Sterling7,551 people 20.4 1.5 per 1,000 14.4 per 1,000
84 Princeton Princeton6,241 people 21.2 0.9 per 1,000 17.7 per 1,000
85 Calvert City Calvert City2,526 people 21.2 0.5 per 1,000 19.1 per 1,000
86 Hodgenville Hodgenville3,389 people 21.2 2.2 per 1,000 12.5 per 1,000
87 Nicholasville Nicholasville32,197 people 21.3 1.4 per 1,000 15.5 per 1,000
88 Grayson Grayson3,778 people 22.2 2.0 per 1,000 14.0 per 1,000
89 Bardstown Bardstown13,804 people 22.3 1.1 per 1,000 17.8 per 1,000
90 Map of Morehead Morehead6,870 people 22.5 1.7 per 1,000 15.6 per 1,000
91 Shepherdsville Shepherdsville14,533 people 23.8 1.6 per 1,000 17.2 per 1,000
92 Somerset Somerset12,216 people 26.0 2.7 per 1,000 15.0 per 1,000
93 Frankfort Frankfort28,503 people 26.7 2.2 per 1,000 17.8 per 1,000
94 Mayfield Mayfield9,868 people 27.1 2.3 per 1,000 17.8 per 1,000
95 Jeffersontown Jeffersontown29,199 people 27.5 0.9 per 1,000 23.8 per 1,000
96 Covington Covington41,110 people 27.9 2.9 per 1,000 16.4 per 1,000
97 Radcliff22,864 people 28.2 2.4 per 1,000 18.8 per 1,000
98 Richmond Richmond37,111 people 29.1 2.3 per 1,000 20.0 per 1,000
99 Map of Henderson Henderson27,852 people 30.0 3.0 per 1,000 18.1 per 1,000
100 Glasgow Glasgow15,197 people 30.1 1.8 per 1,000 22.9 per 1,000
101 Maysville Maysville8,737 people 31.5 2.2 per 1,000 22.7 per 1,000
102 Lyndon Lyndon11,030 people 32.1 1.5 per 1,000 26.2 per 1,000
103 Ashland Ashland21,295 people 33.0 2.1 per 1,000 24.6 per 1,000
104 Lexington-Fayette urban county323,725 people 33.5 2.5 per 1,000 23.6 per 1,000
105 Map of Winchester Winchester19,213 people 35.0 2.0 per 1,000 26.8 per 1,000
106 Bowling Green Bowling Green75,388 people 35.5 2.1 per 1,000 27.0 per 1,000
107 Map of Paducah Paducah26,845 people 38.5 2.9 per 1,000 26.8 per 1,000
108 Middletown Middletown9,763 people 38.6 1.0 per 1,000 34.5 per 1,000
109 London London7,561 people 39.0 1.5 per 1,000 33.1 per 1,000
110 Simpsonville Simpsonville3,062 people 39.3 1.4 per 1,000 33.7 per 1,000
111 Oak Grove Oak Grove7,962 people 39.3 3.3 per 1,000 26.0 per 1,000
112 Hopkinsville Hopkinsville30,906 people 40.4 3.6 per 1,000 25.8 per 1,000
113 Map of Florence Florence32,803 people 40.5 1.9 per 1,000 33.1 per 1,000
114 Owensboro Owensboro60,302 people 43.0 3.7 per 1,000 28.3 per 1,000
115 Map of Shively Shively15,638 people 43.8 3.5 per 1,000 30.0 per 1,000
116 Newport Newport13,967 people 48.6 2.8 per 1,000 37.2 per 1,000
117 Map of St. Matthews St. Matthews17,577 people 54.0 1.4 per 1,000 48.5 per 1,000
118 Louisville/Jefferson County metro government783,022 people 63.1 7.1 per 1,000 34.6 per 1,000

How this ranking works

For each town we add up the violent and property crimes its police reported to the FBI over 2023–2025 and divide by the population they served, giving a rate per 1,000 residents. Violent crimes (homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault) count four times as much as property crimes (burglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson), because they weigh more on how safe a place feels. The lowest weighted rate ranks #1.

These are crimes reported to police, not convictions, and towns with a campus, highway, beach or shopping center also count incidents involving visitors. A town is ranked only if its police department reported a full year in every one of these years; towns patrolled by a county sheriff or state police don't have their own figures. There is no “most dangerous” list, on purpose.

Only towns with at least 2,500 residents are ranked; Census estimates for smaller places are too uncertain. Population and income: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, offenses known to law enforcement by city. Town photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each town’s page.

Same ranking in other states

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