Serious Crime Declines in Kentucky for Second Year in a Row

The 2025 Crime in Kentucky report shows that serious crime has decreased by more than 8% compared to 2024.

The 2025 Crime in Kentucky report shows that, from 2024 to 2025, across the 23 categories of serious crime, 17 saw fewer reported crimes, indicating an overall decrease of 8.14% in reports of serious Category A crime. Some of the notable data indicate an 11.25% decrease in drug/narcotic offenses and a 15.64% decrease in homicide offenses. Class A felonies involve high-level drug trafficking, first-degree rape, murder, and arson, and generally carry a sentence of 20 to 50 years in prison.

For four straight years, Kentucky overdose deaths have decreased. The state saw a 22.9% decrease in overdose deaths in 2025. Kentucky has also experienced four consecutive years with a decrease in overdose deaths and two years of a decreased recidivism rate.

The statistics in the Crime in Kentucky report are collected through offense and arrest data submitted to the Kentucky State Police by law enforcement agencies throughout the commonwealth. Agencies submit their data through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), the FBI's standard reporting system. The Louisville Metro Police Department, Winchester Police Department, Owensboro Police Department, and Nelson County Sheriff’s Office each submit data through their own reporting system.