Louisville, Kentucky

==Demographics==

{{US Census population
| 1790 = 200
| 1800 = 359
| 1810 = 1357
| 1820 = 4012
| 1830 = 10341
| 1840 = 21210
| 1850 = 43194
| 1860 = 68033
| 1870 = 100753
| 1880 = 123758
| 1890 = 161129
| 1900 = 204731
| 1910 = 223928
| 1920 = 234891
| 1930 = 307745
| 1940 = 319077
| 1950 = 369129
| 1960 = 390639
| 1970 = 361706
| 1980 = 298694
| 1990 = 269063
| 2000 = 256231
| 2010 = 597337
| 2020 = 633045
| estyear = 2022
| estimate = 624444
| estref =<ref name="United States Census Bureau"/>				
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=September 16, 2017|archive-date=October 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141003185009/https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|url-status=live}}</ref><br/>In 2003, Louisville merged with<br />Jefferson County and population<br />counts were combined thereafter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abell.org/sites/default/files/publications/cd-louisvillemerger1013.pdf|title=A 10-Year Perspective of the Merger of Louisville and Jefferson County, KY: Louisville Metro Vaults From 65th to 18th Largest City in the Nation|access-date=July 20, 2020|archive-date=February 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205052411/https://abell.org/sites/default/files/publications/cd-louisvillemerger1013.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><br>2010–2020<ref name="QuickFactsBalance" />
}}
{{further|History of the French in Louisville|History of Germans in Louisville|History of the Irish in Louisville}}
Between 1970 and 2000, Louisville lost population each decade. As of the [[2000 United States Census|2000 census]], Louisville had a population of 256,231, down from the 1990 census population of 269,063.<ref name=PopEstCities /> Due to the city-county merger that occurred in 2003, which expanded the city limits, the city's population increased to 597,337 at the 2010 census count.

===2020 Census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Louisville city, Kentucky – Racial and Ethnic Composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), Kentucky|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US2148006&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=October 28, 2023|archive-date=November 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106012909/https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2010.P2?q=p2&g=160XX00US2148006|url-status=live}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2city>{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Louisville city, Kentucky|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US2148006&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=October 28, 2023|archive-date=October 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028222436/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US2148006&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=2020CensusP2balance>{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), Kentuck|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US2148006&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=October 28, 2023|archive-date=October 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028222436/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US2148006&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Note: the Census disaggregated Louisville city from Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance) in the 2020 Census</ref>
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|408,157
|style='background: #ffffe6; |382,096
|68.33%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |60.36%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|135,138
|style='background: #ffffe6; |147,069
|22.62%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |23.23%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|1,289
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,206
|0.22%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.19%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|12,764
|style='background: #ffffe6; |21,034
|2.14%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.32%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|347
|style='background: #ffffe6; |493
|0.06%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.08%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Some Other Race]] alone (NH)
|1,018
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,064
|0.17%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.48%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed Race/Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|11,834
|style='background: #ffffe6; |27,900
|1.98%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.41%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|26,790
|style='background: #ffffe6; |50,183
|4.48%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7.93%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''597,337'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''633,045'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

Louisville is the largest city in Kentucky, with 17.1% of the state's total population as of 2010; the balance's percentage was 13.8%.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/state/totals/2013/tables/NST-EST2013-01.csv |title=Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013 |format=[[comma-separated values|CSV]] |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division |date=December 30, 2013 |access-date=June 25, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824084354/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/state/totals/2013/tables/NST-EST2013-01.csv |archive-date=August 24, 2014 }}</ref> In 2010, over one-third of the population growth in Kentucky was in Louisville's CSA counties.{{citation needed|date=August 2014}}
[[File:Race and ethnicity 2010- Louisville (5560442676).png|thumb|left|Map of racial distribution in Louisville, 2010 U.S. Census. Each dot is 25 people: {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ff0000|White}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#0000ff|African American}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#00ffaa|Asian}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ffa600|Hispanic}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ffff07|Other}}]]

The 2007 demographic breakdown for the entire [[Louisville metropolitan area|Louisville Metro area]] was 74.8% White (71.7% non-Hispanic), 22.2% African American, 0.6% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.1% Hawaiian or Pacific islander, 1.4% other, and 1.6% multiracial. About 2.9% of the total population was identified as Hispanic of any race. During the same year, the area of premerger Louisville consisted 60.1% White, 35.2% African American, 1.9% Asian, 0.2% Native American, and 3.0% other, with 2.4% identified as Hispanic of any race.

Of the 287,012 households, 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were [[marriage|married couples]] living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were not families. About 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.97.

The age distribution is 24.3% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.60 males.

The [[median household income|median income]] for a household in 2017 was $51,960. For non-family households the median income was $32,446, and for family households was $67,965. In 2017, males had a median income of $36,326 while females had a median income of $30,464.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_17_1YR_S1903&prodType=table|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214011120/https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_17_1YR_S1903&prodType=table|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 14, 2020|title=American FactFinder—Results|website=factfinder.census.gov|language=en|access-date=March 24, 2019}}</ref> The latest available data for [[per capita income]] comes from 2006, and was $23,304 for the county.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_06_EST_B19301&prodType=table|title=American FactFinder—Results|website=factfinder.census.gov|language=en|access-date=March 24, 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214060816/https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_06_EST_B19301&prodType=table|archive-date=February 14, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> About 9.5% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the [[poverty threshold|poverty line]] in 2017, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those ages 65 or over.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_17_1YR_S1701&prodType=table|title=American FactFinder—Results|website=factfinder.census.gov|language=en|access-date=March 24, 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214060745/https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_17_1YR_S1701&prodType=table|archive-date=February 14, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref>

African Americans are concentrated in the [[Smoketown, Louisville|Smoketown]] neighborhood.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://louisville.cc/louisvilles-historic-black-neighborhoods/|title=Louisville's Historic Black Neighborhoods – Louisville History and Souvenirs|website=louisville.cc|access-date=September 7, 2023|archive-date=September 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907014809/https://louisville.cc/louisvilles-historic-black-neighborhoods/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Religion===

{{Main|Religion in Louisville, Kentucky}}
{{See also|Religion in Kentucky}}
[[File:Cathedral Assumption Louisville.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Cathedral of the Assumption (Louisville, Kentucky)|Cathedral of the Assumption]]]]

Louisville hosts religious institutions of various faiths, including [[Christianity]], [[Judaism]], [[Islam]], [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Sikhism]] and the [[Baháʼí Faith]].

The 135,421 [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] Louisvillians are part of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville|Archdiocese of Louisville]], covering 24 counties in central Kentucky, and consisting of 121 parishes and missions spread over {{convert|8124|sqmi|km2}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archlou.org/history/statistics/ |title=Data on Catholic residents from the Archdiocese of Louisville |publisher=Archlou.org |access-date=July 28, 2009 |archive-date=October 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020183412/http://www.archlou.org/history/statistics/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Cathedral of the Assumption (Louisville, Kentucky)|Cathedral of the Assumption]] in downtown Louisville is the seat of the Archdiocese of Louisville. [[Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani|Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey]], the monastic home of Catholic writer [[Thomas Merton]], is in nearby [[Bardstown, Kentucky]], and also in the archdiocese. Most of Louisville's Roman Catholic population is of German descent, the result of large-scale 19th-century immigration.

[[Bellarmine University]] and [[Spalding University]] in Louisville are affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church.

One in three Louisvillians is [[Southern Baptist]], belonging to one of 147 local congregations.<ref>Data on Baptist Population from LRA website [http://www.lrba.org/templates/System/details.asp?id=20083&PID=430832 Long Run Baptist Association] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201181541/http://www.lrba.org/templates/System/details.asp?id=20083&PID=430832 |date=February 1, 2015 }}</ref> This denomination increased in number when large numbers of people moved into Louisville in the early 20th century from rural Kentucky and [[Tennessee]] to work in the city's factories; some of these migrants also formed [[Holiness movement|Holiness]] and [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal churches]] and [[Churches of Christ]].

[[History of the Germans in Louisville|German immigrants]] in the 19th century brought not only a large Catholic population, but also the [[Lutheran]] and [[Evangelical Synod of North America|Evangelical]] faiths, which are represented today in Louisville by the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]], the [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]], and the [[United Church of Christ]], respectively.

The largest [[Methodism|Methodist]] Church in [[Kentucky]], Christ Church United Methodist, is located in Louisville, and the city has boasted a large Methodist population since the cities founding.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About|url=https://ccum.net/about/|access-date=March 30, 2021|website=Christ Church United Methodist|language=en|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501145016/https://ccum.net/about/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The city is home to two [[megachurch]]es. [[Southeast Christian Church (Louisville, Kentucky)|Southeast Christian Church]], with its main campus in [[Middletown, Kentucky|Middletown]] and three others in the surrounding region, is, {{as of|2013|lc=y}}, the seventh-largest church in the United States.<ref name="Outreach">{{cite journal |title=2013 Outreach 100 Largest Churches in America |url=http://omag-eszuskq0bptlfh8awbb.stackpathdns.com/2013-outreach-100-largest-churches-america.html |journal=[[Outreach (magazine)|Outreach]] |date=September 16, 2014 |access-date=March 15, 2017 |archive-date=March 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316025338/http://omag-eszuskq0bptlfh8awbb.stackpathdns.com/2013-outreach-100-largest-churches-america.html |url-status=live }}</ref> St. Stephen Church<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ssclive.org/ |title=St. Stephen Church |access-date=October 21, 2013 |archive-date=October 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022012344/http://ssclive.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> is the 38th largest in the US,<ref name="Outreach" /> and has the largest African American congregation in Kentucky.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Katayama|first1=Devin|title=Former Pastor Files Discrimination Suit Against St. Stephen Baptist Church|url=http://archives.wfpl.org/2012/01/03/former-pastor-files-discrimination-suit-against-st-stephen-baptist-church/|access-date=March 15, 2017|publisher=[[WFPL]]|date=January 3, 2012|archive-date=March 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316113213/http://archives.wfpl.org/2012/01/03/former-pastor-files-discrimination-suit-against-st-stephen-baptist-church/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The city is home to several religious institutions: the [[Southern Baptist Theological Seminary]], [[Louisville Bible College]], [[Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary]], and the denominational headquarters of the [[Presbyterian Church (USA)]].

[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] maintains a [[Temple (LDS Church)|temple]] in suburban [[Crestwood, Kentucky|Crestwood]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/details/louisville-kentucky-temple|title=Louisville Kentucky Temple|website=ChurchofJesusChrist.org|access-date=October 3, 2018|archive-date=November 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106012919/https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/details/louisville-kentucky-temple?lang=eng|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Jew]]ish population of around 14,200 in the metro area<ref>{{cite web|url=https://scholarworks.brandeis.edu/esploro/outputs/report/9924154070301921/filesAndLinks?index=0|title=2021–22 Study of Jewish Louisville|access-date=April 12, 2023|archive-date=April 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412055649/https://scholarworks.brandeis.edu/esploro/outputs/report/9924154070301921/filesAndLinks?index=0|url-status=live}}</ref> is served by five [[synagogue]]s. Most Jewish families emigrated from [[Eastern Europe]] at the start of the 20th century; around 800 [[History of the Jews in the Soviet Union|Soviet Jews]] have moved to Louisville since 1991.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The Courier-Journal]] |title=Some synagogues eye broader styles of worship |date=September 28, 2003 |author=Smith, Peter}}</ref> Jewish immigrants founded Jewish Hospital in what was once the center of the city's Jewish district. From 2005 to 2012, Jewish Hospital merged with two Kentucky-based Catholic [[health system|healthcare system]]s to form [[KentuckyOne Health]], which later in 2012 announced a partnership with the [[University of Louisville]] Hospital. A significant focal point for Louisville's Jewish community is located near [[Bowman Field (Kentucky)|Bowman Field]], where there are two Orthodox synagogues (including [[Anshei Sfard (Louisville, Kentucky)|Anshei Sfard]], founded in 1893), the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family and Career Services, and an affordable housing complex.

Since 1996, every May, the Festival of Faiths,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.festivaloffaiths.org/|title=Festival of Faiths|access-date=August 26, 2016|archive-date=September 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912001845/http://festivaloffaiths.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> a five-day national [[Interfaith dialogue|interfaith]] gathering, is held featuring music, poetry, film, art and dialogue with internationally renowned spiritual leaders, thinkers and practitioners. The festival is organized by the Center for Interfaith Relations<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.centerforinterfaithrelations.org/|title=Center for Interfaith Relations|access-date=August 26, 2016|archive-date=October 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161001182757/http://centerforinterfaithrelations.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> and is held at [[Actors Theatre of Louisville]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Blumberg|first1=Antonia|title=Interfaith Leaders Gather To Promote Peace in the Heart of the Christian South|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/festival-of-faiths-louisville_us_572ce9b2e4b096e9f09151d4|access-date=August 26, 2016|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|date=May 6, 2016|archive-date=September 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918122057/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/festival-of-faiths-louisville_us_572ce9b2e4b096e9f09151d4|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Ethan|title=Festival of Faiths: A Q&A with the director of Louisville's 'Sundance of Sacred'|url=http://www.leoweekly.com/2015/05/festival-of-faiths-a-qa-with-the-director-of-louisvilles-sundance-of-sacred/|access-date=August 26, 2016|work=[[LEO Weekly]]|date=May 9, 2015|archive-date=May 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510074852/http://www.leoweekly.com/2015/05/festival-of-faiths-a-qa-with-the-director-of-louisvilles-sundance-of-sacred/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Louisville first welcomed the [[Baháʼí Faith]] in 1920. The [[Spiritual Assembly]] of the Baháʼí of Louisville was formed in 1944 when their community reached the required amount of nine adult Baháʼís. The first Baháʼí center opened in Louisville in 1967 in [[Crescent Hill, Louisville|Crescent Hill]]. When the community outgrew the space in 1985, it was sold and another center opened in [[Buechel, Louisville|Buechel]] in 1998.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The encyclopedia of Louisville|date=2001|publisher=University Press of Kentucky |editor-last1=Kleber |editor-first1=John E. |editor-last2=Kinsman |editor-first2=Mary Jean |editor-last3=Clark |editor-first3=Thomas D. |editor-last4=Yater |editor-first4=George E.|isbn=9780813149745|location=Lexington|oclc=900344482}}</ref>

===Crime===

{{See also|Louisville Metro Police Department|Louisville Metro EMS|Louisville Division of Fire|Jefferson County Fire Service}}

In a 2005 survey, [[Morgan Quitno Press]] ranked Louisville as the seventh safest large city in the United States.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20110714114626/http://www.morganquitno.com/cit06pop.htm America's Safest (and Most Dangerous) Cities]." ''[[Morgan Quitno Press]].'' November 21, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2006.</ref> The 2006 edition of the survey ranked Louisville eighth.<ref>{{cite news |title=Louisville among nation's safest cities |date=October 31, 2006 |newspaper=[[The Courier-Journal]]}}</ref>

In 2004, Louisville recorded 70 murders. The numbers for 2005 ranged from 55 to 59 (FBI says 55, LMPD says 59), which was down 16 percent from 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wave3.com/story/5021890/fbi-report-louisville-crime-rate-outpacing-national-average|title=FBI Report: Louisville Crime Rate Outpacing National Average|website=wave3.com|date=June 13, 2006|access-date=October 22, 2010|archive-date=December 26, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226164956/http://www.wave3.com/story/5021890/fbi-report-louisville-crime-rate-outpacing-national-average|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2006, Louisville-Jefferson County recorded 50 murders, which was significantly lower than previous years. In 2008, Louisville recorded 79 murders.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theurbanlouisvillian.blogspot.com/2007/06/fbi-crime-statistics-from-2006-released.html|title=The Urban Louisvillian: FBI Crime Statistics from 2006 Released|date=June 13, 2007|access-date=July 5, 2007|archive-date=March 31, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331082422/http://theurbanlouisvillian.blogspot.com/2007/06/fbi-crime-statistics-from-2006-released.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Louisville Metro Area's overall [[violent crime]] rate was 412.6 per 100,000 residents in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.morganquitno.com/met05a.pdf|title=Morgan Quitno—Violent Crime Rate in 2005 (ordered by metro area)|access-date=July 5, 2007|archive-date=March 31, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331082426/http://www.morganquitno.com/met05a.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The Elizabethtown, Kentucky Metro Area, which is part of Louisville's Combined Statistical Area, was the 17th safest Metro in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.morganquitno.com/cit07pop.htm#METRO |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615000102/http://www.morganquitno.com/cit07pop.htm |archive-date=June 15, 2011 |title=Morgan Quitno—Safest 25 Metropolitan Areas |url-status=dead }}</ref> Kentucky has the 5th lowest violent crime rate out of the 50 states.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.infoplease.com/us/crime/crime-rate-state-2006|title=Crime Rate by State, 2006|website=InfoPlease|access-date=February 5, 2019|archive-date=January 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190113084421/https://www.infoplease.com/us/crime/crime-rate-state-2006|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2020, Louisville recorded 173 murders;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2020/12/30/record-number-of-homicides|title=Louisville End 2020 With Record-breaking Homicide Trend|website=spectrumnews1.com|access-date=June 15, 2022|archive-date=May 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516223743/https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2020/12/30/record-number-of-homicides|url-status=live}}</ref> and, in 2021, Louisville recorded 188 murders amidst an ongoing violent crime wave in the city.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wave3.com/2022/01/01/louisville-ends-2021-with-record-year-homicides/?outputType=amp | title=Louisville ends 2021 with record year of homicides | date=January 2022 | access-date=June 8, 2022 | archive-date=September 29, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929045251/https://www.wave3.com/2022/01/01/louisville-ends-2021-with-record-year-homicides/?outputType=amp | url-status=live }}</ref>

The city has also been one of the hardest hit by the opioid epidemic. In 2021, Louisville broke the record for overdoses in the city. Heroin, fentanyl and other opioids have also attributed to an overall increase in violent crime, property crime and homelessness in the past decade.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2022/06/14/kentucky-new-record-fatal-overdoses-fentanyl-opioid-addiction|title=Kentucky shatters its fatal overdose record; fentanyl blamed|website=spectrumnews1.com|access-date=June 15, 2022|archive-date=June 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614160204/https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2022/06/14/kentucky-new-record-fatal-overdoses-fentanyl-opioid-addiction|url-status=live}}</ref>

Violent crime is most concentrated west of downtown, especially in the [[Russell, Louisville|Russell]] neighborhood. The West End, located north of Algonquin Parkway and West of 9th Street, had 32 of the city's 79 murders in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |title=courier-journal.com—Jefferson County homicide victims, 2007 |url=http://datacenter.courier-journal.com/police/homicides/victims.php?year=2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120604194844/http://datacenter.courier-journal.com/police/homicides/victims.php?year=2007 |archive-date=June 4, 2012 |access-date=March 25, 2008 }}</ref>