Violent crime
199 per 100,000 residents, per year
9,177 reported in the 12 months to Jun 2026
−11% vs. the previous 12 months
Data through June 2026, FBI Crime Data Explorer
Crime in Kentucky
The violent crime rate in Kentucky is 199 per 100,000 residents per year over the 12 months to June 2026, 37% below the U.S. rate of 318, and the 44th-highest of the 50 states and D.C. Violent crime is down 11% from the previous 12 months, and down 4% since 2018.
The numbers
12 months to Jun 2026Property crime
1,247 per 100,000 residents, per year
57,435 reported in the 12 months to Jun 2026
−6% vs. the previous 12 months
All reported
1,446 per 100,000 residents, per year
66,612 reported in the 12 months to Jun 2026
Annual rates per 100,000 residents, counted the FBI’s way, the same as every city on this site.
What counts, and who reported
Violent crime is homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property crime is burglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson. The agencies that reported serve 100% of the state’s 4,606,864 residents, and rates are taken over the population they serve. How we count
Where Kentucky sits among the states
violent, per 100k, per year199
Kentucky has the 44th-highest violent crime rate of the 50 states and D.C., and the 35th-highest property crime rate.
Maine 89U.S. 318Washington, D.C. 786
The ring is Kentucky; the tick is the rate for the whole country.
Reported crime by type
12 months to Jun 2026- Homicide2.3 (U.S. 3.9)−41% vs. U.S.
- Rape32 (U.S. 35)−9% vs. U.S.
- Robbery26 (U.S. 46)−43% vs. U.S.
- Aggravated assault139 (U.S. 233)−40% vs. U.S.
- Property crimeBurglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson1,247 (U.S. 1,473)−15% vs. U.S.
See the table, with the change on the previous 12 months
| Offense | Reported | Per 100k | U.S. per 100k | vs. U.S. | vs. previous 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HomicideViolent | 106 | 2.3 | 3.9 | −41% | −48% |
| RapeViolent | 1,456 | 32 | 35 | −9% | −15% |
| RobberyViolent | 1,195 | 26 | 46 | −43% | −23% |
| Aggravated assaultViolent | 6,420 | 139 | 233 | −40% | −6% |
| Property crimeBurglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson | 57,435 | 1,247 | 1,473 | −15% | −6% |
The FBI publishes property crime for states as a single total, so it is not broken down here. Red means more than in the previous 12 months, green means fewer.
Homicides so far in 2026
Jan to Jun 20262026
47
−32% vs. the same months of 2025
2025
69
Same months, from January to June
| Month | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | 14 |
| Feb | 11 | 18 |
| Mar | 7 | 14 |
| Apr | 12 | 6 |
| May | 4 | 9 |
| Jun | 6 | 8 |
Who reported, and how final these are
Homicides reported to the FBI from January to June 2026, the latest month counted in full nationally. Agencies serving 100% of residents reported; late reports can still add a few to the most recent months.
Since 2018
per 100k, per yearViolent crime rate by year
Homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault per 100,000 residents
| Year | Violent crime rate in Kentucky |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 222 |
| 2019 | 227 |
| 2020 | 273 |
| 2022 | 223 |
| 2023 | 232 |
| 2024 | 227 |
| 2025 | 214 |
Homicide rate by year
Homicides per 100,000 residents
| Year | Homicide rate in Kentucky |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 5.7 |
| 2019 | 5.2 |
| 2020 | 7.8 |
| 2022 | 7.5 |
| 2023 | 6.3 |
| 2024 | 6.4 |
| 2025 | 2.8 |
Why there is no 2021
No figure for 2021: that year the FBI switched every agency to its new reporting system (NIBRS), and so many had not switched yet that national coverage fell too low for a rate. The dotted line only joins the years on either side.
Cities in Kentucky
2 city pages, per 100k, per yearMonth by month
Violent crimes in each city’s latest 12 months against the 12 before. Each chart has its own scale: compare the two lines within a city.
Louisville4,232 −14%
Lexington715 −9%
| # | City | Violent per 100k | Property per 100k | vs. Kentucky | Residents | Data through |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisville73rd of 302 | 612 | 3,250 | +207% | 691,630 | Jul 2026 |
| 2 | Lexington226th of 302 | 216 | 2,035 | +8% | 330,994 | Jul 2026 |
How to read this table
The line under each city is its place among the 302 cities and county areas on this site, highest rate first. City rates use the same FBI definitions as the state, so each one can be read against the Kentucky figure directly. Each department reports on its own schedule, so the 12-month windows differ a little between rows.
Neighboring states
per 100k, per yearRank among the 50 states and D.C. by violent crime rate, 1 being the highest. Same FBI window for every state: the 12 months to June 2026.
Common questions
answered with the data aboveIs Kentucky safe?
By reported violent crime, Kentucky is well below the national level: 199 violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year over the 12 months to June 2026, against 318 for the U.S. It varies a lot from city to city: among the 2 Kentucky cities on this site, Louisville runs 612 and Lexington 216.
What is the violent crime rate in Kentucky?
199 per 100,000 residents per year, counting homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault reported to the FBI over the 12 months to June 2026 (9,177 offenses). The property crime rate is 1,247 per 100,000.
Is crime in Kentucky going up or down?
It is going down: violent crime −11% and property crime −6% over the last 12 months compared with the 12 months before. Since 2018 the violent crime rate is down 4%.
Source and dates
FBI CDE- Source
- Federal Bureau of Investigation, via the FBI Crime Data Explorer: monthly offense counts and the population served by the agencies that reported
- Latest 12 months
- July 2025 to June 2026
- Reporting coverage
- Agencies serving 100% of residents
- History on this site
- 2018 to 2025 by year (no 2021), and month by month since January 2018
- Update schedule
- We refresh every morning and publish the most recent 12 months that agencies across the country have reported in full.
- Methodology
- How we count, and what the numbers leave out