Kentucky’s Safest Cities of 2024

Cathy Habas
Mar 18, 2024
bullet3 min read
SafeWise is pleased to release the 10th annual Safest Cities report.

Here are the 10 Safest Cities in Kentucky for 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%.

In this report

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NOTE: If your city is missing from our full report, it means that it was below the population threshold or didn’t submit a complete crime report to the FBI in 2022.

2024 Kentucky crime rates

Image: SafeWise

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.

Property crime in Kentucky: Fear vs. reality

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.

What security measures are used most in Kentucky?

Security measures used most often in Kentucky: security cameras, firearms, guard dogs.

Image: SafeWise

Package theft in Kentucky

  • 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%).

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What crimes are Kentucky residents concerned about most?

Image: SafeWise

Violent crime in Kentucky: Fear vs. reality

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.

Attitudes about gun violence in Kentucky

  • 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.

A closer look at the safest cities in Kentucky

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.

The 20 safest cities in Kentucky

Image: SafeWise

Edgewood, Kentucky
#1
Edgewood
(
+7
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    8,372
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.0, 0.2, 0.5
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    5.4, 4.7, 4.4
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
#2
Southgate
(
+20
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    3,658
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.0, 1.0, 2.2
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    6.6, 4.4, 6.4
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Park Hills, Kentucky
#3
Park Hills
(
+21
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    3,158
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.0, 0.3, 1.7
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    6.6, 7.7, 6.0
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
West Liberty, Kentucky
#4
West Liberty
(
-2
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    3,251
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.3, 0.3, 0.3
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    3.1, 1.8, 0.6
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Carrollton, Kentucky
#5
Carrollton
(
+35
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    3,898
  • bullet
    Median Income
    $26,346
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.3, 1.1, 0.5
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    4.4, 10.8, 6.6
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Wilmore, Kentucky
#6
Wilmore
(
+15
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    6,081
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.2, 0.3, 0.2
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    6.2, 7.4, 5.1
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Fort Thomas, Kentucky
#7
Fort Thomas
(
-0-
)
  • bullet
    Population
    17,159
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.2, 0.4, 0.4
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    5.6, 3.9, 5.4
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Taylor Mill, Kentucky
#8
Taylor Mill
(
-2
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    6,821
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.4, 0.6, 0.0
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    2.3, 2.8, 5.3
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Prospect, Kentucky
#9
Prospect
(
-6
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    4,552
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.2, 0.0, 0.0
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    7.0, 4.7, 6.9
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Vine Grove, Kentucky
#10
Vine Grove
(
+20
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    6,843
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.3, 1.3, 0.6
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    5.7, 6.3, 7.6
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
#11
Beaver Dam
(
+14
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    3,538
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.3, 0.6, 0.8
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    6.2, 6.7, 5.9
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Erlanger, Kentucky
#12
Erlanger
(
+3
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    24,147
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.5, 0.7, 0.9
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    2.9, 3.9, 5.8
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
#13
Bellevue
(
+13
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    5,534
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.0, 0.3, 0.5
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    13.0, 8.4, 13.7
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Villa Hills, Kentucky
#14
Villa Hills
(
+21
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    7,337
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.3, 0.9, 0.1
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    7.8, 9.6, 9.1
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Fort Mitchell, Kentucky
#15
Fort Mitchell
(
+18
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    8,643
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.2, 0.5, 0.5
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    8.8, 11.1, 8.6
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
#16
Morganfield
(
+2
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    3,202
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.6, 0.3, 0.3
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    2.5, 6.8, 5.1
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Lakeside Park - Crestview Hills, Kentucky
#17
Lakeside Park-Crestview Hills
(
-4
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    6,227
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.2, 0.2, 0.3
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    11.6, 5.7, 7.8
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Highland Heights, Kentucky
#18
Highland Heights
(
+21
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    6,784
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.4, 0.9, 0.7
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    6.2, 11.2, 9.5
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Flatwoods, Kentucky
#19
Flatwoods
(
-2
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    7,231
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.6, 0.7, 0.6
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    4.1, 4.7, 4.7
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Wilder, Kentucky
#20
Wilder
(
+28
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    3,125
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.3, 0.7, 2.0
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    9.0, 13.4, 17.3
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

How we determined the safest cities

Learn how we identified the safest cities on our methodology page.

How to make a safe home anywhere

Over 6 in 10 Americans surveyed don't have a home security system, despite over 50% of all burglaries being residential. Unfortunately, a majority of people who have a security system added it after they had a break-in. One of the best ways to stop a burglary before it happens—and get immediate help if a break-in is detected—is to add a monitored home security system.

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Get a home security system

Find out which companies we recommend for every budget and lifestyle in our roundup of the Best Home Security Systems—and learn the basics with our guide on Everything You Need to Know About Home Security

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Find the safest cities in each state

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Endnotes and sources

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.

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Cathy Habas
Written by
Cathy Habas
With over eight years of experience as a content writer, Cathy has a knack for untangling complex information. Her natural curiosity and ability to empathize help Cathy offer insightful, friendly advice. She believes in empowering readers who may not feel confident about a purchase, project, or topic. Cathy earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Indiana University Southeast and began her professional writing career immediately after graduation. She is a certified Safe Sleep Ambassador and has contributed to sites like Safety.com, Reviews.com, Hunker, and Thumbtack. Cathy’s pride and joy is her Appaloosa “Chacos.” She also likes to crochet while watching stand-up comedy specials on Netflix.

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