The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Harrison County, KY

Harrison County is home to 19,100 residents and includes Cynthiana and Berry · Updated November 2026

Is Harrison County, KY safe?

Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Harrison County has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 92% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map below.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 966 of 1,000
Safer than nearly all US neighborhoods What this means

92% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Harrison County as a whole, and 8% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Harrison County scores 966.

Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.

A+
Violent crimeSafety score 964 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 968 of 1,000Less property crime than nearly all US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Harrison County

Map of Harrison County shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Harrison County, KY at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Harrison County, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.

Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports


What stands out in Harrison County

Thefts are uncommon. Harrison County has thefts at less than half the US rate: 4.5 a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.


The safest and least safe parts of Harrison County

Every part of Harrison County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Harrison County run from A+ to A-; 90% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.

A or B 100%

Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.

Across the county, the southwest side has the least crime and the center the most.


Crime rates and types in Harrison County

CrimeGrade™ estimates Harrison County has about 14 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 63% less than the US as a whole and 51% less than Kentucky.

Overall crime

Violent crime

Property crime

Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.

The largest share of crime reported in Harrison County is assault, about 45% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.030.05
RapeA+40.190.38
RobberyA+20.100.62
AssaultA+1186.112.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+100.532.4
TheftA+864.513.1
Vehicle theftA+150.792.7
ArsonA+under 10.050.12
VandalismA+271.45.5

Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.

Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.


Where and when crime happens in Harrison County

These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Harrison County, 2022 to 2024.

In Harrison County, 74% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (74%)Morning (6 am to noon)
VandalismHomes (46%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)

Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.


How Harrison County compares with nearby counties

Harrison County has less crime than 5 of its 10 nearest counties.

Nearby counties

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Harrison CountyA+966A+A+19,100
Bourbon County 15 milesA+952A+A+20,200
Robertson County 16 milesA+971A+A+2,280
Nicholas County 17 milesA+980A+A+7,710
Fayette County 29 milesB+745B+B+323,700
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Scott County 19 milesA910AA59,500
Pendleton County 21 milesA+970A+A+14,700
Bracken County 24 milesA+971A+A+8,440
Grant County 25 milesA+950A+A+25,400
Owen County 29 milesA+968A+A+11,300
Clark County 30 milesA911A+A37,200

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Harrison County. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with counties of similar size and density, Harrison County is safer than 64% of them.

Counties of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Harrison CountyA+966A+A+19,100
Fayette County, IAA+984A+A+19,300
Adair County, KYA+979A+A+19,100
Green Lake County, WIA+975A+A+19,300
East Feliciana Parish, LAA+967A+A+19,300
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Perry County, INA+961A+A+19,300
Saluda County, SCA+954A+A+19,100
Gilchrist County, FLA+953A+A+19,000
Humphreys County, TNA+950A+A+19,200
Cherokee County, KSA+944A+A+19,200
Banks County, GAA+937A+A19,300

Density, jobs and walkability in Harrison County

Two things set Harrison County apart: it has 1% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally, and 26 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less robbery.

Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 94% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.26 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 93% of Americans
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 91% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (8 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 86% of Americans
Show all 6
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.33% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 92% of Americans
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.10.7% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 88% of Americans
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Harrison County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Harrison County on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.

These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.


What crime costs Harrison County

Crime costs Harrison County about $460 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 62% less than the US figure of $1,205.

Cost of crime per resident, per year

Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $12 million a year, or $640 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$1.1 million$55
Rape$220,000$12
Robbery$58,000$3
Assault$1.1 million$56
Burglary$91,000$5
Theft$440,000$23
Vehicle theft$230,000$12
Arson$21,000$1
Vandalism$190,000$10
Total$3.4 million$177

How CrimeGrade™ works

A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Harrison County means the same as a B anywhere else.

CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.

The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.

Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.

Where the numbers come from

  • Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
  • State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • Published research on what crime costs victims and communities

These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Harrison County

Schools in Harrison County, KY average a SchoolGrade of D: 36% of students test proficient, against 39% projected for schools like them. Overall, they underperform expectations. See schools in Harrison County on SchoolGrade