Crime in Petersville, KY

Petersville is a community of 515 in Lewis County, about 40 miles west of downtown Ashland · Updated November 2026

Is Petersville, KY safe?

Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Petersville has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 98% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 983 of 1,000
Safer than nearly all US neighborhoods What this means

98% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Petersville as a whole, and 2% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Petersville scores 983.

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 980 of 1,000Less violent crime than nearly all US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 987 of 1,000Less property crime than nearly all US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Petersville

Map of Petersville 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 Petersville, KY at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Petersville, 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


Crime rates and types in Petersville

CrimeGrade™ estimates Petersville has about 9.4 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 75% less than the US as a whole and 67% 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.

Assault is the most common crime in Petersville, about 38% of everything reported.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.060.05
RapeA+under 10.180.38
RobberyA+under 10.030.62
AssaultA+23.612.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+under 11.12.4
TheftA+under 11.313.1
Vehicle theftA+under 10.772.7
ArsonA+under 10.120.12
VandalismA+12.25.5

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.


How Petersville compares with nearby cities

Of the 10 cities closest to Petersville, 8 have less crime. Harris and Queens have the least.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
PetersvilleA+983A+A+515
Clarksburg 3 milesA+988A+A+461
Vanceburg 4 milesA+970A+A+3,890
Charters 4 milesA+988A+A+32
Firebrick 4 milesA+988A+A+219
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Glen Springs 6 milesA+988A+A+454
Stricklett 6 milesA+988A+A+39
Queens 7 milesA+989A+A+320
Ribolt 8 milesA+987A+A+120
Harris 9 milesA+990A+A+25
Tollesboro 11 milesA+982A+A+1,750

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

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Petersville is safer than 68% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
PetersvilleA+983A+A+515
Beulah, WYA+997A+A+515
Larsmont, MNA+994A+A+515
Wilcox, MOA+984A+A+515
Lakeway, ARA+981A+A+515
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Perry, WVA+980A+A+515
Covesville, VAA+978A+A+515
Hallie, KYA+963A+A+515
Normandy, TXA+958A+A+515
Leburn, KYA+949A+A+515
Nisqually Indian Community, WAA914AA515

What crime costs Petersville

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Petersville about $495 a year per household, 59% 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 $530,000 a year, or $1,036 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$61,000$118
Rape$5,500$11
Robbery$440$1
Assault$19,000$36
Burglary$5,200$10
Theft$3,400$7
Vehicle theft$6,100$12
Arson$1,500$3
Vandalism$8,100$16
Total$110,000$213

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 Petersville 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 Petersville

Schools in Petersville, KY average a SchoolGrade of D-: 33% of students test proficient, against 38% projected for schools like them. Overall, they underperform expectations. See schools in Petersville on SchoolGrade