The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Kenton County, KY
Kenton County, the third-most populous county in Kentucky, is home to 171,300 residents and includes Covington and Independence · Updated November 2026
Is Kenton County, KY safe?
Yes, crime in Kenton County is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Kenton County sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 56% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A here. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Kenton County run from A+ to F, so check the map or the safest and least safe places below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 864 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
56% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Kenton County as a whole, and 44% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Kenton County scores 864.
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 Kenton County, KY at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Kenton 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 Kenton County
Aggravated assault runs low. Kenton County has 0.68 aggravated assaults a year per 1,000 residents, a small fraction of the US rate of 2.6.
Burglaries happen at homes more often than nationally. In Kenton County, 75% of reported burglaries happen at homes, against 57% nationally.
The safest and most dangerous places in Kenton County
Low crime is the norm across Kenton County: 92% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 3% in areas graded D or F. Grades across Kenton County run from A+ to F; 74% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
92%
A or B 92%C 5%D or F 3%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Cities and towns in Kenton 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 southeast side has the least crime and the Covington area the most.
Is crime going up in Kenton County?
Reported crime in Kenton County has fallen since 2019: violent crime is down 34% and property crime down 42%. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 1.8 to 1.2 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 13 to 7.6 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, violent crime fell 21%.
Violent crime, change since 2019
Property crime, change since 2019
Kenton CountyUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police departments across Kenton County. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Violent, Kenton County
Violent, US
Property, Kenton County
Property, US
2016
+15%
+4%
+24%
+15%
2017
-3%
+4%
+22%
+12%
2018
-5%
+0%
+1%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
+0%
+0%
2020
-6%
+4%
-13%
-8%
2021
-18%
+6%
-34%
-10%
2022
-33%
+5%
-33%
-6%
2023
-16%
+2%
-36%
-7%
2024
-34%
-4%
-42%
-15%
Crime rates and types in Kenton County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Kenton County has about 21 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 42% less than the US as a whole and 24% 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 Kenton County is assault, about 41% 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 Kenton County
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Kenton County, 2022 to 2024.
Thefts from cars happen most often in parking lots and garages: 33% of them, against 31% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (75%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (38%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Parking lots and garages (33%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (34%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Robbery
Streets and sidewalks (38%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (53%)
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 Kenton County compares with nearby counties
Kenton County has more crime than 9 of its 10 nearest counties. Pendleton County and Ohio County, IN have the least crime nearby.
One thing sets Kenton County apart: it has 7.0 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 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.7.0 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 97% 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 Kenton County: D- (12 of 100).5 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 70% 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. 82% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (16 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 56% of Americans
Show all 6
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.7.6% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 68% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.41 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 60% of Americans
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.91% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 56% of Americans
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 Kenton County
Crime costs Kenton County about $599 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 50% less than the US figure of $1,205. The total is about $41 million a year.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost rises to about $115 million a year, or $671 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$6.8 million
$40
Rape
$3.6 million
$21
Robbery
$1.2 million
$7
Assault
$14 million
$79
Burglary
$1.3 million
$8
Theft
$4.6 million
$27
Vehicle theft
$4.4 million
$26
Arson
$84,000
under $1
Vandalism
$5.0 million
$29
Total
$41 million
$237
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 Kenton 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
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 Kenton County, KY average a SchoolGrade of B: 44% of students test proficient, against 37% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Kenton County on SchoolGrade
