Lexington Crime Rates & Statistics – Kentucky SBDC

By: Aaron Gilley with Security Essentials of Lexington

With the beautiful horse farms and gorgeous scenery surrounding Lexington, KY, it can be hard to imagine that a crime could happen to you or your home or business. But think again, the city of Lexington is not immune to crimes, including both violent crimes and property crimes. Like any other similarly sized city, Lexington experiences an average amount of crime based on the population size. However, according to NeighborhoodScout , Lexington, KY has an average 72% higher crime rate than the rest of Kentucky. That equates to a 1 in 22 chance of being the victim of either a violent crime, such as murder, rape, robbery or assault, or a property crime, such as burglary, theft or motor vehicle theft.

Compared to most cities and towns across Kentucky, Lexington, KY has a higher crime rate for violent crimes with an estimated 58% higher occurrence rate for violent crime. Violent crimes are defined as murder, rape, robbery or assault. In Lexington, the rate of a murder occurring is 0.06 per 1,000 people; the rate of a rape occurring is 0.44 per 1,000 people; the rate of a robbery occurring is 1.80 per 1,000 people; and the rate of an assault occurring is 1.12 per 1,000 people. Overall, this equates to a 1 in 293 chance of experiencing a violent crime in Lexington, KY according to NeighborhoodScout.

For property crimes, Lexington, KY also has an increased risk of your home or business experiencing crime compared to the rest of the state. On average, there is a 73% chance of being the victim of a property crime in Lexington, KY compared to other Kentucky cities and towns. Property crimes include home or business burglary, theft and motor vehicle theft. Per 1,000 people, the rate of experiencing a burglary is 7.79; the rate of experiencing a theft is 30.31; and the rate of experiencing a motor vehicle theft is 3.01. According to NeighborhoodScout, this equates to an overall rate of 1 in 41 of being the victim of a property crime in Lexington, KY. For motor vehicle theft specifically, Lexington has one of the highest rates across the entire United States with a 1 in 332 chance of experiencing a motor vehicle theft.

Violent crimes and property crimes should not be taken lightly, especially a city with higher crime rates, like Lexington. Fortunately, there are ways to protect yourself and your home. First, you can determine the crime rates for you specific neighborhood within Lexington by checking out the crime map supported by Lexington’s local government. Additionally, you can invest in a security system to protect your home or business from property crime.