One Kentucky City Ranked Among the Most Dangerous in the U.S.

One city in Kentucky is among America's 25 Most Dangerous Cities, according to a new study.

When you think of Kentucky overall, you don't really associate it with crime. Sure, criminal acts happen all of the time, but that's not typically the stereotype that goes with Indiana. No matter what state you live in, there are always certain places that you want to avoid due to how dangerous some of the neighborhoods are, and Kentucky is no exception.

U.S. News and World Report just revealed its 2025‑2026 list of the 25 most dangerous places. Based on each city's murder and property crime rates per 100,000 people, determined by FBI crime reports, this list has a few surprising cities on there. One of which is a city in Kentucky. While it might not be surprising to folks in Kentucky if we were to say that it was the most dangerous city in the state, it certainly might be a bit of a shock that it is among the 25 most dangerous in the country.

Kentucky City Among 25 Most Dangerous in U.S.

I'm sure you could probably guess which Kentucky city made this list. Louisville, Kentucky, came in at number 21 on the most dangerous U.S. cities list from U.S. News and World Report. With a population of 628,594 people and 180 associated neighborhoods, Louisville is the largest community in Kentucky. So, it's no surprise that it could be the most dangerous city in the state, but to be among the 25 most dangerous in the nation...well, that's certainly alarming.

Neighborhood Scout says that Louisville has a total of 5,159 violent crimes and 24,183 property crimes annually, making it safer than 3% of U.S. cities. That's not great news for Louisville. That being said, at least Louisville was near the bottom of the list and not at the very top like the number one most dangerous city, which is Memphis, Tennessee. You can take a look at the full report from U.S. News and World Report by clicking here.