Safest Cities in Kentucky
Top 42 cities (≥10,000 pop) by lowest FBI UCR violent crime rate per 100,000 · 2024. Lead: Independence at 26.9/100K.
FBI UCR Safest-Cities Snapshot: Kentucky
Kentucky lists 42 cities with 10,000+ population for 2024, spanning Independence at 26.9/100K violent down to Louisville Metro at 707.4/100K on this cut. That is a 680.5/100K spread inside the safest cohort alone, not a single statewide rate. Cohort average: 180.1 violent offenses per 100,000 residents.
Independence reported 8 violent and 94 property offenses on a 29,747 reporting population in 2024. Property rate 316/100K sits beside the 26.9/100K violent rate. Top five on the table: Independence, Mount Washington, Fort Thomas, Alexandria, Lawrenceburg.
Independence offense desk
Independence's 2024 violent book concentrates in rape (63% of 8 Part I violent offenses; mix index 4,688).
Independence's violent rate fell 65.4% vs 2023 (77.7 → 26.9 per 100K) while staying #1 on this Kentucky list.
Independence violent offense mix (2024)
Mix index is HHI × 10,000 on Part I violent shares for the #1 city only, distinct from the per-100K ranking table.
| # | Grade | City | Population | Violent Crime Rate | Property Crime Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A+ | Independence | 29,747 | 26.9/100K | 316/100K |
| 2 | A+ | Mount Washington | 18,811 | 31.9/100K | 558.2/100K |
| 3 | A+ | Fort Thomas | 16,826 | 47.5/100K | 487.3/100K |
| 4 | A | Alexandria | 10,778 | 55.7/100K | 723.7/100K |
| 5 | A+ | Lawrenceburg | 12,241 | 57.2/100K | 539.2/100K |
| 6 | A | La Grange | 10,537 | 66.4/100K | 911.1/100K |
| 7 | A | Versailles | 27,727 | 68.5/100K | 757.4/100K |
| 8 | A | Erlanger | 19,827 | 70.6/100K | 524.5/100K |
| 9 | A | Berea | 16,135 | 86.8/100K | 849.1/100K |
| 10 | A | Madisonville | 19,294 | 88.1/100K | 590.9/100K |
| 11 | A | Murray | 18,191 | 99/100K | 1429.3/100K |
| 12 | B | Lyndon | 10,877 | 101.1/100K | 2528.3/100K |
| 13 | B | Jeffersontown | 28,563 | 105/100K | 2275.7/100K |
| 14 | A | Danville | 17,406 | 109.2/100K | 1045.6/100K |
| 15 | A | Nicholasville | 32,866 | 112.6/100K | 1497/100K |
| 16 | A | Georgetown | 40,037 | 122.4/100K | 1168.9/100K |
| 17 | C | St. Matthews | 17,289 | 127.2/100K | 5095.7/100K |
| 18 | A | Paris | 10,057 | 129.3/100K | 805.4/100K |
| 19 | A | Shelbyville | 17,959 | 133.6/100K | 1007.9/100K |
| 20 | B | Shepherdsville | 14,843 | 134.7/100K | 1792.1/100K |
| 21 | A | Elizabethtown | 33,522 | 137.2/100K | 698/100K |
| 22 | A | Franklin | 10,556 | 142.1/100K | 881/100K |
| 23 | B | Bardstown | 13,917 | 165.3/100K | 1394/100K |
| 24 | C | Winchester | 19,283 | 165.9/100K | 2795.2/100K |
| 25 | B | Glasgow | 15,413 | 168.7/100K | 2108.6/100K |
| 26 | B | Radcliff | 22,658 | 172.1/100K | 1999.3/100K |
| 27 | C | Ashland | 21,011 | 199.9/100K | 2503.5/100K |
| 28 | B | Frankfort | 28,177 | 202.3/100K | 1643.2/100K |
| 29 | B | Richmond | 38,072 | 215.4/100K | 1972.6/100K |
| 30 | C | Bowling Green | 77,503 | 224.5/100K | 2928.9/100K |
| 31 | B | Campbellsville | 11,724 | 230.3/100K | 1074.7/100K |
| 32 | C | Florence | 33,208 | 231.9/100K | 3213.1/100K |
| 33 | B | Somerset | 12,367 | 258.8/100K | 1075.4/100K |
| 34 | C | Lexington | 323,254 | 262/100K | 2274.4/100K |
| 35 | C | Paducah | 26,624 | 270.4/100K | 2794.5/100K |
| 36 | C | Covington | 40,984 | 287.9/100K | 1634.8/100K |
| 37 | C | Shively | 15,394 | 305.3/100K | 3280.5/100K |
| 38 | C | Henderson | 27,600 | 318.8/100K | 1815.2/100K |
| 39 | D | Newport | 13,702 | 328.4/100K | 3838.9/100K |
| 40 | C | Owensboro | 60,096 | 349.4/100K | 2917/100K |
| 41 | D | Hopkinsville | 30,694 | 446.3/100K | 2505.4/100K |
| 42 | F | Louisville Metro | 676,843 | 707.4/100K | 3326.2/100K |
Kentucky overview · Most dangerous cities · National safest cities · Methodology - FBI UCR Part I rates; cities ≥10,000 pop; 2024.