City Crime Score
Below avg crime
Population
22,136
Median Income
$61,041
Home Value
$178,437
Median Age
34.0
Crime Statistics
Demographics
14.6% have a bachelor's degree or higher
Housing
Radcliff, KY Crime Map
Explore crime rates, safest neighborhoods, and detailed crime statistics
Radcliff, KY Crime Overview: What the Data Shows in 2026
Radcliff earns an overall crime grade of C in 2026 — a middle-of-the-road rating that reflects a city managing real but not exceptional crime pressures against a backdrop of economic headwinds. With a population of roughly 22,796 spread across 658 residents per square mile, Radcliff is a moderately dense small city where community patterns matter enormously to daily safety.
Context helps here. Radcliff's unemployment rate of 9.2% and poverty rate of 18.8% sit notably above Kentucky state averages, and research consistently links economic stress to elevated property crime. A median household income of $45,463 and median home value of $130,163 paint a picture of a working-class community where tight budgets can strain both households and public safety resources.
Where Crime Concentrates in Radcliff
Property crime is the dominant story in Radcliff's crime landscape. Incidents cluster most visibly in commercial corridors and higher-density residential pockets. Neighborhoods closer to the main retail strips tend to show elevated theft and vehicle-related incidents — patterns common to areas with high foot traffic and limited overnight lighting. By contrast, areas like Hilltop and West Radcliff report a quieter profile, with lower incident density that makes them popular among families and long-term residents.
Violent crime exists but remains a secondary concern relative to property offenses. Assaults account for the majority of violent incidents logged, with robberies representing a smaller share. Drug-related offenses continue to thread through multiple crime categories, influencing both violent and property incident rates — a pattern Radcliff shares with many post-industrial communities across Kentucky.
Understanding Radcliff's C Grade
A C grade means Radcliff sits in the middle tier nationally — safer than a significant portion of U.S. cities its size, but with measurable room for improvement. Residents should not read this as a warning to avoid the city, but rather as a signal to stay informed and take reasonable precautions. The grade reflects an aggregate of property and violent crime rates weighted against population, meaning a handful of high-incident zones pull the citywide average down even as many neighborhoods remain genuinely calm.
For comparison, cities with similar economic profiles — moderate poverty, above-average unemployment, mid-range density — frequently land in the C range. Radcliff's proximity to Fort Knox provides a stabilizing employment anchor that likely keeps crime from trending worse, and active community policing efforts have been a consistent feature of the city's public safety approach.
How to Use the Radcliff Crime Map Effectively
The interactive crime map on this page lets you filter by incident type, date range, and neighborhood. Here's how to get the most out of it:
- Start with incident type filters. If you're evaluating a home purchase near West Radcliff, filter for residential burglary and auto theft to get a street-level picture rather than relying on citywide averages.
- Use time-range comparisons. Pulling a 90-day window versus a 12-month window reveals whether a neighborhood's crime profile is improving, worsening, or holding steady.
- Cross-reference heat zones with your commute. High-density incident clusters near commercial areas may not affect residential streets just a few blocks away — the map lets you see that distinction clearly.
- Check the Hilltop and West Radcliff areas if you're prioritizing lower property crime density — these neighborhoods consistently show lighter incident loads in the data.
Safety Practices That Match Radcliff's Crime Profile
Given that property crime drives Radcliff's C grade, the most impactful personal safety steps are property-focused:
- Vehicle security is non-negotiable. Auto theft and vehicle break-ins appear regularly in Radcliff's incident data. Never leave valuables visible, and consider a steering wheel club or GPS tracker for older vehicles.
- Home hardening matters. Deadbolts, motion-sensor lighting, and visible security cameras are low-cost deterrents that work. In a city with an 18.8% poverty rate, opportunistic property crime responds strongly to visible deterrence.
- Know your neighbors. Community cohesion is one of Radcliff's genuine strengths — neighborhoods with active informal watch networks report faster incident response and lower repeat victimization.
- Report early and often. The Radcliff Police Department relies on resident reports to identify emerging hotspots. A call about suspicious activity today can prevent a break-in next week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Radcliff, KY
What is Radcliff's overall crime grade?
Radcliff receives an overall crime grade of C for 2026. This places the city in the middle tier among U.S. cities, meaning crime is present and worth monitoring but does not make Radcliff an outlier in any alarming direction. The grade is shaped significantly by property crime rates, which are the most common incident type in the city, while violent crime remains a smaller — though real — component of the overall picture.
Is Radcliff, KY safe to live in?
Radcliff is a livable city with genuine safety challenges that are manageable with awareness. The overall C grade reflects a city where most residents go about their daily lives without incident, but where property crime — particularly theft and vehicle-related offenses — requires consistent vigilance. Neighborhoods like Hilltop and West Radcliff are frequently cited by residents as calmer areas with stronger community cohesion. The city's economic profile, including a poverty rate of 18.8% and unemployment at 9.2%, creates conditions that elevate property crime risk citywide, but active local policing and community programs work to offset those pressures.
What types of crime are most common in Radcliff?
Property crime dominates Radcliff's incident data. Theft, auto theft, and residential burglary account for the largest share of reported offenses. Vandalism also appears regularly in commercial and mixed-use corridors. Violent crime — primarily assault — is present but represents a smaller proportion of total incidents. Drug-related offenses intersect with both categories, influencing property crime rates as well as contributing to a portion of assault incidents. Understanding this breakdown matters: a city where property crime drives the grade requires different precautions than one where violent crime is the primary concern.
Which neighborhoods in Radcliff have lower crime?
Based on available incident data, Hilltop and West Radcliff consistently show lower crime density compared to the citywide average. These areas benefit from stronger neighborhood watch activity, higher rates of owner-occupied housing, and proximity to parks and schools that generate positive community foot traffic. That said, no neighborhood in any city with a C crime grade is entirely insulated — residents in all parts of Radcliff benefit from standard property security measures and staying connected to local crime alerts.
How does Radcliff's crime rate compare to other Kentucky cities?
Radcliff's C grade puts it roughly in the middle of the pack for Kentucky cities of comparable size. Cities with stronger economies and lower poverty rates tend to score in the B range, while more distressed urban areas score D or F. Radcliff's economic challenges — a poverty rate of 18.8% and unemployment at 9.2% — place upward pressure on crime metrics, but the stabilizing influence of Fort Knox employment and a relatively low population density of 658 people per square mile help keep the city from trending into lower grade territory.
Is Radcliff a good place to buy a home from a safety standpoint?
For buyers prioritizing affordability alongside safety, Radcliff offers a reasonable value proposition. The median home value of $130,163 is well below national averages, and neighborhoods like Hilltop and West Radcliff offer lower incident density within that affordable price range. The C crime grade means buyers should use the crime map to evaluate specific streets and blocks rather than relying solely on citywide averages — a home in a quieter pocket of Radcliff may carry meaningfully lower risk than the aggregate grade suggests. Consulting the interactive map on this page by filtering for your target neighborhood and a 12-month incident window gives the clearest street-level picture before making a purchase decision.
Surrounding Cities
Radcliff Zip Codes
View crime statistics by zip code in Radcliff, KY