Kentucky's crime rate, in one paragraph
In 2025, Kentucky's violent crime rate was 198.5 per 100,000 residents, roughly 39% below the U.S. rate of 325.2. By the FBI's own numbers, Kentucky is a comparatively low-violent-crime state. The Kentucky murder rate (2.7 per 100,000) is below the U.S. figure of 4.3, while robbery (28.0 vs. 48.7) and aggravated assault (136.1 vs. 235.9) both sit well below national norms.
Kentucky vs. United States, 2025 (per 100,000 residents)
| Offense | Kentucky | U.S. | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime (total) | 198.5 | 325.2 | −39% |
| Murder / non-negligent manslaughter | 2.7 | 4.3 | −38% |
| Rape | 31.8 | 36.3 | −12% |
| Robbery | 28.0 | 48.7 | −43% |
| Aggravated assault | 136.1 | 235.9 | −42% |
| Property crime (total) | 1,212.0 | 1,546.9 | −22% |
| Burglary | 160.4 | 193.6 | −17% |
| Larceny | 861.8 | 1,146.4 | −25% |
| Motor vehicle theft | 183.2 | 197.3 | −7% |
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer. Negative values mean Kentucky's rate is lower than the U.S. rate.
Violent crime in Kentucky, 2021–2025
| Offense | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime (total) | 272.3 | 223.0 | 231.8 | 225.5 | 198.5 |
| Murder / non-negligent manslaughter | 8.5 | 7.4 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 2.7 |
| Rape | 40.9 | 39.3 | 37.5 | 37.3 | 31.8 |
| Robbery | 49.4 | 39.3 | 39.2 | 36.1 | 28.0 |
| Aggravated assault | 173.5 | 136.9 | 148.6 | 145.7 | 136.1 |
Kentucky's violent crime rate ran from 272.3 in 2021 up to a peak of 272.3 in 2021, then back to 198.5 in 2025. That is the same pandemic-era hump-and-decline pattern seen nationally.
Property crime in Kentucky, 2021–2025
| Offense | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime (total) | 1,636.8 | 1,505.2 | 1,577.7 | 1,397.1 | 1,212.0 |
| Burglary | 290.4 | 251.1 | 237.1 | 199.9 | 160.4 |
| Larceny | 1,091.5 | 1,020.0 | 1,046.1 | 956.0 | 861.8 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 245.2 | 225.9 | 285.7 | 232.1 | 183.2 |
Property crime is trending down across the window — Kentucky burglary fell 45% from 2021 to 2025. The outlier is motor vehicle theft, down 25% over the same period.
How Kentucky grades against the U.S.
If you want a single-sentence grade for Kentucky on crime, the FBI data supports this: Kentucky is meaningfully safer than the U.S. average on violent crime overall, and the murder rate is also below the national rate. Property crime is also below the national average. "Safer than average" is not the same as "safe everywhere," though: Kentucky's statewide rates hide wide variation between Lexington, Louisville, smaller cities, and rural counties. For incident-level data in Lexington itself, use the links below.
About this data
- Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation — Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, retrieved live from the FBI Crime Data Explorer (cde.ucr.cjis.gov). Refreshed every six months on this site.
- Coverage: Statewide totals for Kentucky from agencies reporting to the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The FBI estimates for non-reporting agencies.
- Rates: Offenses per 100,000 residents, using U.S. Census population estimates.
- Most recent year: 2025. The FBI typically publishes the prior year's full statistics each September.
- Comparability: The FBI completed its transition from the older Summary Reporting System (SRS) to NIBRS in 2021. Older sources may not be directly comparable.
Lexington-specific data
Statewide rates only get you so far. For Lexington-specific incidents, neighborhoods, and reporting: