The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in London, KY
London is a city of 38,300 in Laurel County · Updated November 2026
Is London, KY safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in London: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 86% 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 951 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
86% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than London as a whole, and 14% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. London scores 951.
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 London, KY at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in London, 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 London
Aggravated assaults and simple assaults both run low. In London, each runs at a small fraction of the US rate: 0.68 aggravated assaults and 2.8 simple assaults a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.6 and 9.7 nationally.
Burglaries happen at stores and businesses far more often than nationally. In London, 56% of reported burglaries happen at stores and businesses, against 28% nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of London
Every part of London where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across London run from A+ to A-; 95% 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 London, the northeast side has the least crime and the center the most.
Crime rates and types in London
CrimeGrade™ estimates London has about 15 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 60% less than the US as a whole and 47% 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 London, about 41% of everything reported.
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 London
London has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
Car thefts happen most often in parking lots and garages: 34% of them, against 23% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Stores and businesses (56%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Parking lots and garages (34%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Vandalism
Stores and businesses (36%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How London compares with nearby cities
London has the most crime of its 3 nearest cities.
Two things set London apart: it has 37% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally, and a Walk Grade of D- (7 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less theft and vandalism, and they run low here.
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.37% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 91% 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. 94% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (7 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 87% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.2% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 87% of US city residents
Show all 6
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.9.8% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 85% of US city residents
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 London: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.14.3 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 84% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of London 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 London
Crime costs London about $449 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 63% 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 $21 million a year, or $541 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$1.4 million
$37
Rape
$400,000
$10
Robbery
$100,000
$3
Aggravated assault
$740,000
$19
Simple assault
$780,000
$20
Burglary
$570,000
$15
Theft
$1.2 million
$32
Vehicle theft
$840,000
$22
Arson
$59,000
$2
Vandalism
$550,000
$14
Total
$6.7 million
$174
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 London 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 London, KY average a SchoolGrade of A: 52% of students test proficient, against 33% projected for schools like them. Overall, they greatly exceed expectations. See schools in London on SchoolGrade
