Here Are The 10 Most Dangerous Towns In Kentucky To Live In

If you are considering where to put down roots, raise a family, or retire in the Bluegrass State, it's only natural that you'd want to be armed with all the information possible, including the most dangerous towns in Kentucky. So, we sifted through FBI stats from the most recent year recorded, and the crimes considered to create their list included things like robbery, rape, arson, murder, property crime, larceny, all violent crimes, and auto theft. These results were then put against factors such as economics and population, to determine some of the most dangerous towns in Kentucky:

Louisville

This should come as no big surprise considering Louisville led the U.S. in murder the first part of 2015. While crime rates remain relatively proportionate to its size, we still love Louisville, and think it's a place every Kentuckian ought to visit!

Georgetown

While its Main Street around the holidays has earned Georgetown major acclaim, this bustling Kentucky city has under 35,000 people, and averages around 23 victims for every 1,000 residents. That's a pretty high rate of crime considering the population, but in good news, only a small percentage of crimes in Georgetown, a suburb of Lexington, are violent.

Newport

A gangster mecca way back when; today, Newport is an urban, riverfront town in Kentucky that is filled with history. While its overall crime ranking isn't the greatest, with so much development and restoration happening here, it is still a great place to visit.

Shively

A popular point along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, the town of Shively is a suburb of Louisville and unfortunately sees its fair share of violent crime. Ranked the highest in Kentucky for murder, Shively is a place addled with both violent and property crime.

Frankfort

Our state's capital city is home to much history and is also in the heart of the Bourbon Trail. But it has seen an increase in both violent and property crimes.

Hopkinsville

This looks like a peaceful place to live -- and it can be, if you're careful. Hopkinsville is a medium-sized city located in the state of Kentucky. With a population of 31,180 people and 11 constituent neighborhoods, Hopkinsville is the ninth largest community in Kentucky, and its size means that it definitely sees its (more than) fair share of crime, unfortunately.

Lexington

The Wildcat capital made the list of the most dangerous cities. It's not a huge surprise, given its size, and, just like with any larger city, it's helpful to pay attention to your surroundings when visiting lovely Lexington, Kentucky.

Versailles

Though this is a smaller town, with under 9000 residents, the crime rate is through the roof, with only 31 violent crimes. However, there were 83 crimes reported via every 1000 citizens. Other than that, Versailles is a beautiful place to call home, and one of our favorite places to visit in the Bluegrass.

Bowling Green

Though it's home to one of the most charming downtowns in Kentucky, Bowling Green is a larger city in the Bluegrass, so it makes sense that it would see more crime. ou need to be careful in this southern Kentucky city or you could wind up like one of the victims of the 247 violent crimes that occurred in 2020. Physical safety is not all you have to worry about. Of those incidents, 71 were robberies. So, your valuables are at risk here too.

Somerset

When visiting Somerset, this might look like another small, traditional Bluegrass town, and it is, mostly. However, Somerset also experiences 23 crimes per 1,000 residents, which, in a city of under 12,000, is significant.

Please don't take things personally if you happen to live in one of these cities. This was not written to say, "run away screaming from these cities."  However, if you are looking for somewhere with a lower rate of crime in Kentucky, you should likely consider some of the other beautiful towns we have to offer. This was based on the FBI list and ONLY on crimes reported. We all know, many crimes don’t get reported. If you know of any other potentially dangerous towns in Kentucky you'd like to comment on, please share them below.