The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Union County, KY: Crime Maps and Statistics

Crime per Capita in Union County

This overview combines violent, property, and other offenses into a single grade for Union County. The dedicated violent crime and property crime pages go deeper on each. The map below shows the overall crime rate per 1,000 residents.

 

Union County, KY Map of Crime Rates
Click the map to explore
A+ B C D F
Safest Highest crime
Colorblind friendly off

B

Overall Crime Grade™

B+
B+
Other Crime Grade
B-

$5.35 million

Cost of Crime™ for Union County, KY

In 2025, crime will cost $1,008 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Union County with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is Union County, KY Safe?

The B overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where Union County's combined rate is slightly lower than the norm. Union County sits in the 68th percentile, ahead of 68% of counties and behind 32%. The grade covers only Union County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in Union County is 24.81 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the southeast part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 25 in the west areas to 1 in 99 in the southeast.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the southwest parts of Union County, KY report the most crime, about 62 cases per year. The southeast part reports the fewest, around 3 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Union County, KY

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Union County for 2025 is $5,347,663, about $415 per resident and $1,008 per household. That equals 1.4% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 54.3%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 33.3%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.3%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Union County Compared to Other Counties?

Union County, KY: $415
Jefferson County, KY: $672
Boone County, KY: $332
Kentucky: $450
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Union County is $415 per year, which is $49 less than the national average and $35 less than Kentucky's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Union County:
  • In Jefferson County, KY, crime costs $672 per person, which is $257 more than in Union County.
  • In Boone County, KY, crime costs $332 per person, which is $83 less than in Union County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Union County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to Union County
Cost per Union County Resident
Murder
$1.84 million
$143
Rape/Sexual Assault
$517,576
$40
Robbery
$159,106
$12
Assault
$543,785
$42
Kidnapping
$190,169
$15
Vehicle Theft
$355,913
$28
Burglary
$273,771
$21
Theft
$552,922
$43
Arson
$23,485
$2
Vandalism
$410,134
$32
Animal Cruelty
$5,737
$0
Drug Crimes
$434,702
$34
Identity Theft
$40,607
$3
Total Cost of Crime
$5,347,663
$415

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Union County, KY

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in Union County totals $14,874,335 ($1,154 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $20,221,997 ($1,569 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The county holds few retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas do the same, and of Union County's 12,886 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Union County, KY at ISP Reports.

Union County Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 Union County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
1.469
Robbery
0.3925
Rape
0.6624
Murder
0.0760
Total Violent Crime
2.600 (B+)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
8.285
Vehicle Theft
1.784
Burglary
2.342
Arson
0.0755
Total Property Crime
12.49 (B+)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.2434
Drug Crimes
4.561
Vandalism
4.455
Identity Theft
0.4071
Animal Cruelty
0.0602
Total "Other" Rate
9.726 (B-)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

Compared to surrounding counties, the rate of crime in Union County is similar. The table below shows Crime Grades for counties close to Union County.

Nearby County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
B+
A-
A-
B-
C+
B
B
A-
B-
B
B-
B
B-
A+
B
A
A
A-
B
D-
B-
C+
A-
C
A
A
A+
B+
A-
B

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Union County is lower versus other counties of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in counties with comparable overall population in the county‘s boundaries.

Similar County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
A
A-
A-
C-
D
D
A+
A
A
B
A+
A+
C+
D-
D-
F
F
F
A
A+
A+
B+
B-
B-
C-
C-
C-
B
C
C

Considering only the crime rate, Union County is safer than the Kentucky state average and safer than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Union County, KY average SchoolGrade of D-, with 21% actual proficiency versus 28% projected; overall, schools underperform expectations. See Union County schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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Home Security

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Home Security Companies in Union County, KY

All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.