The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Independence, KY
Independence is a city of 34,800 in Kenton County, about 11 miles south of downtown Cincinnati · Updated November 2026
Is Independence, KY safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Independence has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 79% 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 934 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
79% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Independence as a whole, and 21% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Independence scores 934.
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.
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 Independence, KY at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Independence, 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 Independence
Thefts are uncommon. Independence has thefts at a small fraction of the US rate: 2.3 a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Independence
Every part of Independence where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Independence run from A+ to A-; 99% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Within Independence, the southeast side has the least crime and the northwest side the most.
Is crime going up in Independence?
Reported property crime in Independence has fallen 30% since 2019. Too few violent crimes are reported here each year for a reliable violent crime trend. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 4.5 to 3.1 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). Property crime changed little from 2023 to 2024.
Property crime, change since 2019
IndependenceUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Independence. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, Independence
Property, US
2016
+27%
+15%
2017
+23%
+12%
2018
+26%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
+2%
-8%
2021
-29%
-10%
2022
-19%
-6%
2023
-24%
-7%
2024
-30%
-15%
Crime rates and types in Independence
CrimeGrade™ estimates Independence has about 11 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 71% less than the US as a whole and 62% 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 Independence is assault, about 51% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.
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 Independence
Independence has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
Car thefts happen most often at homes: 56% of them, against 33% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Car theft
Homes (56%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Vandalism
Homes (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 Independence compares with nearby cities
Independence has less crime than 5 of its 7 nearest cities; only Edgewood and Crestview Hills have less.
Shops, empty homes and walkability in Independence
Two things set Independence apart: it has 3.4 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 1.8% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places like that tend to report less theft, and it runs low here.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.3.4 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 97% of US city residents
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.1.8% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 97% of US city residents
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 and assault. 99% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (5 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 92% of US city residents
Show all 6
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.3% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 80% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.27 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 76% of US city residents
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.86% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 65% of US city residents
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 Independence
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Independence about $313 a year per household, 74% 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 $8.5 million a year, or $245 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$400,000
$12
Rape
$360,000
$10
Robbery
$32,000
$1
Assault
$1.5 million
$43
Burglary
$79,000
$2
Theft
$400,000
$12
Vehicle theft
$290,000
$8
Arson
$9,800
under $1
Vandalism
$490,000
$14
Total
$3.6 million
$103
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 Independence 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. Independence is the other kind of example: few people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks lower than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
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
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.
Schools in Independence, KY average a SchoolGrade of A-: 47% of students test proficient, against 40% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Independence on SchoolGrade
