Crime in Elizabethtown, Kentucky

Elizabethtown's crime rate

There were 501 crimes reported in Elizabethtown, Kentucky in 2019, the most recent year crime data is available. Adjusted for population, the city’s annual crime rate is 1,649 incidents for every 100,000 people.

How does Elizabethtown compare?

Elizabethtown has a lower overall crime rate than the majority of U.S. cities. For comparison, the national total crime rate is 2,489 incidents for every 100,000 people.

Elizabethtown's overall crime rate is 22% lower than the overall crime rate in Kentucky. Statewide, there were 94,470 crimes reported in 2019, or 2,115 for every 100,000 people.

What types of crimes are being committed?

The FBI's crime rate includes seven crime categories: three property crimes -- larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft, and four violent crimes -- aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and murder.

Property crime

The vast majority of crimes in America are property crimes, accounting for 85% of total crimes in 2019. In Elizabethtown, however, property crimes account for about 90% of all offenses.

Despite accounting for a higher than average share of total offenses, property crime is less prevalent in Elizabethtown than it is nationwide. There were 452 property crimes in Elizabethtown in 2019, or 1,488 for every 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, the national property crime rate is 2,110 incidents per 100,000 people.

Larceny

Larceny is by far the most common type of property crime in the U.S. It is also the most commonly committed type of property crime in Elizabethtown. There were 239 larcenies reported in Elizabethtown in 2019, or 787 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the larceny rate is 1,550 per 100,000.

Burglary

There were 140 break-ins reported in Elizabethtown in 2019, or 461 for every 100,000 residents. For reference, there were 341 reported burglaries for every 100,000 people nationwide in 2019.

Motor Vehicle Theft

Across the United States, the annual motor vehicle theft rate is 220 for every 100,000 people. In Elizabethtown, meanwhile, there were 73 motor vehicle thefts in 2019, or 240 for every 100,000 people.

Violent crime

Violent crime accounts for a relatively small share of crimes nationwide. These offenses, which are generally more egregious than property crimes, account for about 15% of the nearly 8.2 million offenses reported across the U.S. in 2019. In Elizabethtown, however, violent offenses account for a smaller 10% share of all reported crime.

At 161 incidents for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate in Elizabethtown is well below the national violent crime rate of 379 offenses per 100,000 people. Law enforcement in Elizabethtown reported a total of 49 violent crimes in 2019.

Aggravated Assault

Aggravated assault is by far the most common type of violent crime reported in the U.S. It is also the most commonly reported violent offense in Elizabethtown. There were 18 aggravated assaults reported in Elizabethtown in 2019, or 59 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the rate is far higher, standing at 250 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people.

Robbery

Robbery is the second most common type of violent crime in America. There were 15 robberies reported in Elizabethtown in 2019, a rate of 49 robberies for every 100,000 residents. For comparison, the national robbery rate was 82 per 100,000 in 2019.

Rape

There were 13 rapes reported in Elizabethtown in 2019, or 43 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, there were 139,815 rapes in 2019, a rate of 43 per 100,000 people.

Murder

There were 3 homicides committed in the city in 2019. Adjusted for population, the murder rate in Elizabethtown is 9.9 murders for every 100,000 people, nearly double the national murder rate of 5 per 100,000 people.

Elizabethtown compared to other cities in Kentucky

Elizabethtown has a lower crime rate than the majority of all comparable cities in Kentucky. To be considered comparable, a city must have a complete 2019 FBI crime report and population of 5,000 or more.

Here are all comparable cities ranked by total crime rate. Click any bar or city name to see more about crime in that city.

Click here to see a list of all city crime pages.

Click here to see a list of all state crime pages.

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