The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Jessamine County, KY

Jessamine County is home to 54,600 residents and includes Nicholasville and Wilmore · Updated November 2026

Is Jessamine County, KY safe?

Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Jessamine County: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A, safer than the neighborhoods where 73% of Americans live. Violent crime grades A+ and property crime A. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map and the safest and least safe places below.

A
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 918 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

73% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Jessamine County as a whole, and 27% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Jessamine County scores 918.

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 931 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A
Property crimeSafety score 894 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Jessamine County

Map of Jessamine 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 Jessamine County, KY at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Jessamine 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 Jessamine County

Car thefts and aggravated assaults both run low. In Jessamine County, each runs at a small fraction of the US rate: 0.68 car thefts and 0.66 aggravated assaults a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 and 2.6 nationally.


How places in Jessamine County compare

Every part of Jessamine County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Jessamine County run from A+ to A-; 80% 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.

Least crime

  1. 1Troy1,030A+982
  2. 2Keene1,580A+974

Most crime

  1. 1Nicholasville42,700A901
  2. 2Wilmore7,070A+954

Cities and towns in Jessamine County with at least 1,000 residents. Ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.

Across the county, the northwest side has the least crime and the Nicholasville area the most.


Is crime going up in Jessamine County?

Reported crime in Jessamine County has fallen since 2019: violent crime is down 27% and property crime down 43%. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 1.2 to 0.9 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 20 to 11 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime fell 18%.

Violent crime, change since 2019

Property crime, change since 2019

Jessamine CountyUnited States

Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police departments across Jessamine County. The charts follow crimes per resident.

Data table
YearViolent, Jessamine CountyViolent, USProperty, Jessamine CountyProperty, US
2016+2%+4%+34%+15%
2017+27%+4%+33%+12%
2018+29%+0%+5%+4%
2019+0%+0%+0%+0%
2020+37%+4%+5%-8%
2021-14%+6%-13%-10%
2022-4%+5%-29%-6%
2023-19%+2%-30%-7%
2024-27%-4%-43%-15%

Crime rates and types in Jessamine County

CrimeGrade™ estimates Jessamine County has about 22 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 42% less than the US as a whole and 23% 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.

Theft is the most common crime in Jessamine County, about 42% of everything reported, but assault costs more, because each one does more harm.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.020.05
RapeA100.180.38
RobberyA+60.110.62
AssaultA3716.812.3
Property crime
BurglaryA961.82.4
TheftA-5019.213.1
Vehicle theftA+370.682.7
ArsonA+20.040.12
VandalismA1612.95.5

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 Jessamine County

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

In Jessamine County, 65% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 44% of them, against 34% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (65%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theftHomes (55%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from carsHomes (44%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)
VandalismHomes (46%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assaultHomes (62%)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 Jessamine County compares with nearby counties

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

Nearby counties

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Jessamine CountyA918A+A54,600
Fayette County 10 milesB+745B+B+323,700
Woodford County 14 milesA+952A+A+27,300
Mercer County 16 milesA+968A+A+23,000
Garrard County 16 milesA+968A+A+17,600
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Madison County 20 milesA915AA95,800
Boyle County 21 milesA+941A+A+30,900
Anderson County 21 milesA+964A+A+24,400
Clark County 23 milesA911A+A37,200
Scott County 24 milesA910AA59,500
Franklin County 26 milesA898AA51,800

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Jessamine 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, Jessamine County has more crime than 62% of them.

Counties of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Jessamine CountyA918A+A54,600
Nye County, NVA+960A+A+54,300
Seneca County, OHA+947A+A+54,800
Warren County, IAA+944A+A+54,400
Johnson County, MOA+937A+A+54,700
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Culpeper County, VAA+934A+A+54,400
Navarro County, TXA922A+A54,700
McMinn County, TNA903AA54,900
Tuolumne County, CAA900AA+54,500
Coffee County, ALA868AA54,900
Lenoir County, NCB+738B+A-54,900

Density, jobs and walkability in Jessamine County

Two things set Jessamine County apart: it has 6% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally, and a Walk Grade of D (12 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 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.6% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 75% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.36 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 72% 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. 87% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (12 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 71% 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.70% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 71% 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 Jessamine County: F (3 of 100).under 1 trip an hourUS: noneLower than for 68% of Americans
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.9.7 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 64% of Americans

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Jessamine 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 Jessamine County

Crime costs Jessamine County about $572 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 53% 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 $29 million a year, or $539 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$1.7 million$32
Rape$600,000$11
Robbery$200,000$4
Assault$3.5 million$64
Burglary$870,000$16
Theft$2.6 million$47
Vehicle theft$570,000$10
Arson$58,000$1
Vandalism$1.1 million$21
Total$11 million$205

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 Jessamine 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 Jessamine County

Schools in Jessamine County, KY average a SchoolGrade of B-: 41% of students test proficient, against 32% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Jessamine County on SchoolGrade