If you are thinking about visiting Louisville and have some qualms about the safety of the city, we got you covered.
We are going to deep dive into the statistics, look at some maps, graphs and talk to the residents of the city to give you a better understanding of how safe Louisville really is.
Is Louisville, Kentucky Safe To Visit?
Statistically speaking, Louisville is a slightly unsafe place to visit. In 2020, Louisville had a violent crime rate of 926.58 per 100,000 people and is on par with cities like Chicago, Houston and Cincinnati.
Murder in the city is particularly bad. In 2021 Louisville reported 188 homicides, which broke its all time record that was set in 2020.
Louisville, Kentucky Crime Stats
Here’s a breakdown of all the crimes in the city for 2020 compared to 2019:
In 2020 Louisville reported 5,707 violent crimes and had a violent crime rate of 926.58 per 100,000 people.
The national average for violent crime is 398.5 per 100,000 residents. Louisville’s violent crime rate is 2.3x greater than the national average.
Louisville’s violent crime rate is 3.6x greater than the state average.
Year over year violent crime has increased by 22%.
Here’s a map showing you how violent crime has trended in Louisville over a 17 year period.
Violent crime in Louisville is at its highest level in the last 17 years.
*Violent crimes include; homicides, rape, robbery and aggravated assaults and the violent crime rate is calculated by dividing the number of reported crimes by the total population; the result is multiplied by 100,000.
Louisville’s Property Crime Stats
In 2020 Louisville reported 22,430 property crimes and had a property crime rate of 3,641.68 per 100,000 people.
The national average for property crime is 1958.2 per 100,000 residents. Louisville’s property crime rate is roughly 1.9x greater than the national average.
Louisville’s property crime rate is 2.1x greater than the state average.
Year over year property crime in Louisville has decreased by 18%.
Here’s a map showing you how property crime has trended in Louisville over a 17 year period.
Property crime peaked in 2003 when there were 31949 property crimes reported and the city had a property crime rate of roughly 5,705.18 per 100,000 people.
Property crime has decreased over 30% from it’s 17-year high in 2003.
*Property crimes include; burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson and property crime rate is calculated by dividing the number of reported crimes by the total population; the result is multiplied by 100,000.
Louisville’s Murder Stats
In 2020, Louisville reported 150 homicide and had a homicide rate of 24.35 per 100,000 people.
Year over year murder has increased by 61%.
Louisville’s murder rate is 3.8x greater than the national average.
Louisville’s murder rate is 3.4x greater than the state average.
In 2021 Louisville reported 188 homicides and that is the most amount of homicides ever reported in the city.
Here’s a map showing you all the locations of homicides in Louisville from July 20, 2021 – January 15, 2022
Louisville vs The Rest Of Kentucky
Here’s a graph showing you the violent crime rates of the 10 most populous cities in Kentucky. Louisville’s has the highest violent crime rate of all the cities on the list.
City
Population
Violent Crime Rate
1. Louisville
615,924
926.58
2. Covington
40,961
375.97
3. Bowling Green
72,294
341.66
4. Lexington
322,570
323.34
5. Hopkinsville
31,180
285.44
6. Owensboro
60,183
267.52
7. Richmond
34,585
193.73
8. Florence
31,946
172.17
9. Georgetown
37,086
169.88
10. Elizabethtown
31,394
140.15
Louisville, Kentucky vs The Most Dangerous Cities in the United States
Here’s a list of the top 18 most dangerous cities in the United States ranked by violent crime rates. Louisville’s violent crime rate is 2.6x less than Memphis, the most dangerous city on the list.
The Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Louisville, Kentucky
The West End of Louisville
South Louisville – particularly around Churchill Downs race track.
West End Market Street
Phoenix Hill
River Park
Russell
Chickasaw
Park Hill
Newburg
Bicknell ave
California
Village West
Smoketown
Shelby Park
Shively
Safest Neighborhoods In Lousiville, Kentucky
Highlands
NuLu
St. Matthews
Crescent Hill
Old Louisville
Prospect
Anchorage
Indian Hills
Lyndon
Hikes Point
Middletown
Jeffersontown
Here’s a map that roughly outlines the good and bad parts of Louisville, Kentucky.
Red – high crime.
Blue – some petty crime associated with dense/urban environments.
Green – little crime, suburbs
Is Downtown Louisville, Kentucky Safe?
Downtown Louisville is generally a safe area to visit during the day time. You should be careful not to stray too far west and go past 9th street as you will be entering a sketchy area.
Many residents say that Downtown Louisville is not too lively, especially after Covid hit and is mostly just a business center now. They say that Highlands, Germantown or NuLu are more vibrant and have better options for bars, breweries, restaurants, and shops.
Is Louisville, Kentucky Safe From Tornadoes?
Louisville is not safe from tornadoes and is susceptible to them.
At the beginning of 2022, Kentucky was hit by a flurry of hurricanes throughout southern Kentucky with wind speeds ranging between 85 mph and 110 mph. These tornadoes hit just 3 weeks after a series of deadly tornadoes killed 77 people in Kentucky
Is Louisville in Tornado Alley?
Louisville is not in tornado alley. The states of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska are consider part of tornado alley. A study of tornadoes that occurred between 1921–1995 concluded almost 1/4 of all significant tornadoes occur in this area.
What do residents of Louisville say about it’s safety?
"Avoid the West End and South Louisville. East Louisville is decent."
"The worst part of Louisville is probably deep in the west end. In downtown if you get past about 9th or 10th street you are starting to get into a sketchy area. The Nulu neighborhood is more geared towards tourists."
"Avoid the south end of Louisville around Churchill Downs."
"West Louisville is bad from downtown to the Ohio River. East Louisville is good."
"West of 65 and North of 264 – BAD. West of 65 and South of 264 – IFFY. East of 65 toward Downtown – BAD and IFFY. East of 64 – GOOD"
"The west end of Louisville is the bad part of town. A lot of shootings, killings and dope being sold 24/7."
Is Louisville Safe For Women?
While there are no guarantees, Louisville is generally safe for female solo travelers as long as you learn the layout of the city, avoid problem areas, stay in well lit/well populated areas and avoid walking by yourself at night.
Is Louisville Safe At Night?
Louisville is safe at night as long as you stay away from the sketchy neighborhoods mentioned above. Most of the violent crime in Louisville is concetrated in the west end and southern parts.
You should be able to mitigate your chances of being a victim if you study the layout of the city and avoid areas where crime is high.
Is Louisville Tap Water Safe To Drink?
The tap water in Louisville, Kentucky is safe to drink. While the tap water in Louisville meets the EPA health guidelines, it can still contain contaminants present in trace amounts that could potentially cause health issues over the long-run.
If you have any concerns about the tap water in Louisville, we suggest that you use bottle water for your drinking needs. Although many residents have praised the tap water in Louisville and said it is frequently awarded best tasting tap water in the country.
Tips to stay safe while visiting Louisville, Kentucky
Do you research before you visit. Create a itinerary of places you want to visit, scout out the locations ahead of time using Google Street View and see if it’s an area that you are comfortable with visiting.
Don’t leave valuables in your car.
Make sure you gas tank is full. The last thing you want is to have pull over into a sketchy neighborhood and look for a gas station.
A lot of the crime and violence in Louisville occurs in areas you probably don’t want to visit. It is best to be knowledgeable of those locations, so you don’t accidentally stumble into them.
Use your eyes. Does the area look sketchy? Are there people roaming the streets as if they’re patrolling? Are there gang taggings sprayed all over walls and on signs? Are the houses dilapidated? Detroit is literally block by block and you need to be mindful enough to stay out of these areas.
Trust your gut. If something doesn’t seem right, remove yourself from the situation.
Stay away from drugs, drug dealers and areas consumed by drugs. Areas with high drug use are usually places with high crime rates.
Avoid using public transportation late at night. Get a taxi or use Uber instead.
Avoid alleys. It might seem like common sense, but you’d be amazed how many people still do it.
It’s almost never a good idea to wonder around at night alone.
Walk with a purpose. Know where you are going ahead of time.
A Few Things You Should Do While Visiting Louisville According To Locals
Mariska is a recovering attorney who gave up her professional job to discover new perspectives of life while traveling in a 2009 Ford Transit.
She has been living the van life for 3 years and has not looked back since.
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