Iowa Crime Grades A-F (2024)

Statewide grade B

133 cities graded A+ through F based on 2024 FBI crime data. State overall score: 65/100 (Above Average).

What is Iowa’s crime safety grade?

Iowa earned an overall safety grade of B (score: 65/100, Above Average) based on 2024 FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program data, with a statewide violent crime rate of 238.5 per 100,000 and property crime rate of 1286.3 per 100,000. PlainCrime graded 133 Iowa cities with reportable crime data against national benchmarks, producing an A+ through F score for each jurisdiction. Grades weigh violent and property crime rates: cities more than 50% below the national average typically earn A or A+, while cities significantly above average receive D or F ratings.

Across the 133 graded Iowa cities, 19 earned A+, 50 earned A, 29 received B, 22 landed at C, 6 received D, and 7 fell to F in the 2024 scoring. The highest-rated city is Dyersville with an A+ grade (score: 95/100, violent rate 21.9/100K). The lowest-rated city is Fort Dodge with a F grade (score: 2/100, violent rate 1061.1/100K).

Roughly 52% of graded cities in Iowa achieved an A or A+ rating, while 10% received a D or F. Cities missing from this table either did not submit complete 2024 UCR data, fell below the minimum population threshold for reliable rate calculation, or report through consolidated agencies that aggregate into county or regional totals instead of individual city figures. Grade boundaries use the national violent and property crime rate averages for 2024 as the reference point, so grades are directly comparable between Iowa and other states on the site.

A safety grade condenses several FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) measures into a single letter, ranking each state's violent and property crime rates against the national distribution rather than a fixed cutoff. A high grade therefore means a state compares well to its peers in a given year, not that it is free of crime. Grades move as the underlying rates move and as agency reporting completeness shifts from year to year. Two states with the same letter can have very different profiles: one may carry a higher violent-crime rate offset by low property crime, the other the reverse. Use the grade as a quick orientation, then read the component rates beneath it to see what is actually driving the number for this state.

A+

19 cities

50 cities

29 cities

22 cities

6 cities

7 cities

Dyersville

22
Sioux Center

46
Waukon

27
Polk City

31
Orange City

47
Ogden

51
Van Meter

55
Huxley

21

What this shows Dyersville reports the lowest violent-crime rate in Iowa. At 21.9 per 100K, it runs well below the Iowa average of 238.5. These eight cities anchor the safe end of the state.

#	Grade	City	Score	Violent Rate	Property Rate	Population
1	A+	Dyersville	95	21.9/100K	371.6/100K	4,575
2	A+	Sioux Center	95	46.3/100K	81/100K	8,643
3	A+	Waukon	94	26.6/100K	425.4/100K	3,761
4	A+	Polk City	94	30.5/100K	289.8/100K	6,557
5	A+	Orange City	94	46.6/100K	186.4/100K	6,438
6	A+	Ogden	94	51.3/100K	154/100K	1,948
7	A+	Van Meter	94	55.2/100K	55.2/100K	1,812
8	A+	Huxley	93	21.1/100K	590/100K	4,746
9	A+	Mitchellville	93	37.6/100K	375.5/100K	2,663
10	A+	Eldridge	93	43.6/100K	334/100K	6,886
11	A+	Durant	93	55.7/100K	167.2/100K	1,794
12	A+	Prairie City	93	58.2/100K	174.7/100K	1,717
13	A+	Vinton	91	60.5/100K	362.9/100K	4,960
14	A+	Dysart	91	79.6/100K	159.2/100K	1,256
15	A+	Buffalo	91	86.3/100K	86.3/100K	1,159
16	A+	Lake City	90	60.5/100K	423.2/100K	1,654
17	A+	North Liberty	90	69.3/100K	397.5/100K	21,635
18	A+	New Hampton	90	88.3/100K	88.3/100K	3,399
19	A+	Sumner	90	98.4/100K	49.2/100K	2,032
20	A	Story City	89	58.8/100K	617.1/100K	3,403
21	A	Algona	89	94.4/100K	132.1/100K	5,298
22	A	Asbury	89	99.6/100K	99.6/100K	6,022
23	A	Cresco	89	102.7/100K	128.4/100K	3,895
24	A	Glenwood	88	57.5/100K	670.8/100K	5,218
25	A	Panora	88	92.4/100K	277.3/100K	1,082
26	A	Norwalk	88	109.1/100K	179.6/100K	15,588
27	A	Carroll	87	39.5/100K	978.5/100K	10,118
28	A	Adel	87	76/100K	638.6/100K	6,577
29	A	Lansing	87	105.2/100K	315.5/100K	951
30	A	West Branch	87	105.6/100K	316.8/100K	2,841
31	A	Mount Pleasant	86	47.8/100K	1063.2/100K	8,371
32	A	Spencer	86	52.2/100K	991.2/100K	11,501
33	A	Johnston	86	76.6/100K	749.4/100K	24,819
34	A	Urbandale	86	89.1/100K	634.6/100K	47,119
35	A	Peosta	86	91.3/100K	593.6/100K	2,190
36	A	Hampton	86	94.1/100K	517.3/100K	4,253
37	A	Decorah	86	118.8/100K	224.3/100K	7,578
38	A	Walcott	86	129.3/100K	129.3/100K	1,547
39	A	Anamosa	85	103.6/100K	569.8/100K	5,791
40	A	Gowrie	85	107.8/100K	538.8/100K	928
41	A	Fairbank	84	88.1/100K	881.1/100K	1,135
42	A	Carlisle	84	114.1/100K	525/100K	4,381
43	A	Le Claire	84	126.2/100K	378.5/100K	4,755
44	A	Colfax	84	132.5/100K	309.1/100K	2,265
45	A	Woodward	84	146.3/100K	146.3/100K	1,367
46	A	Le Mars	83	94.1/100K	922.4/100K	10,624
47	A	Osage	83	114.1/100K	627.7/100K	3,505
48	A	Marion	83	122.6/100K	497.4/100K	42,420
49	A	Bettendorf	82	104.7/100K	867.7/100K	40,105
50	A	Fairfield	82	140.5/100K	486.4/100K	9,251
51	A	Monroe	82	148.2/100K	345.8/100K	2,024
52	A	Wilton	82	170.4/100K	170.4/100K	2,934
53	A	Pella	81	109.7/100K	950.6/100K	10,940
54	A	Tipton	81	132.3/100K	661.6/100K	3,023
55	A	Denison	80	124.4/100K	821.2/100K	8,037
56	A	Waukee	80	141.9/100K	640.2/100K	34,520
57	A	Jefferson	79	98.2/100K	1300.9/100K	4,074
58	A	Oskaloosa	78	140.1/100K	902/100K	11,419
59	A	Waverly	78	141.4/100K	885.9/100K	10,611
60	A	Independence	78	160.7/100K	659.1/100K	6,221
61	A	Clarion	78	183.5/100K	477.1/100K	2,725
62	A	Earlham	78	212.3/100K	141.5/100K	1,413
63	A	Manchester	77	132.2/100K	1114.3/100K	5,295
64	A	Mount Vernon-Lisbon	76	197.6/100K	526.9/100K	4,555
65	A	Cherokee	76	213.3/100K	329.6/100K	5,158
66	A	Missouri Valley	75	151/100K	1132.5/100K	2,649
67	A	Ankeny	75	165.9/100K	1021.6/100K	76,547
68	A	Winterset	75	186.1/100K	725.9/100K	5,373
69	A	Camanche	75	198/100K	637.9/100K	4,546
70	B	Williamsburg	74	179.1/100K	895.5/100K	3,350
71	B	Oelwein	74	208.6/100K	556.2/100K	5,753
72	B	Ames	72	148.3/100K	1505.5/100K	65,426
73	B	Marengo	72	167.2/100K	1295.4/100K	2,393
74	B	Grinnell	72	169.3/100K	1238/100K	9,451
75	B	Evansdale	70	134.3/100K	1947.2/100K	4,468
76	B	Estherville	70	275.5/100K	309.9/100K	5,808
77	B	Coralville	69	133.2/100K	2063.8/100K	24,033
78	B	West Des Moines	69	165/100K	1714.1/100K	73,335
79	B	Clive	69	209.2/100K	1166.1/100K	19,124
80	B	Sac City	69	299/100K	149.5/100K	2,007
81	B	Altoona	68	142.7/100K	2011.4/100K	22,422
82	B	Osceola	66	160.2/100K	2047.4/100K	5,617
83	B	Iowa Falls	66	201/100K	1568.2/100K	4,974
84	B	DeWitt	66	249.5/100K	998/100K	5,611
85	B	Postville	66	293.4/100K	586.8/100K	2,386
86	B	Muscatine	65	245.6/100K	1228/100K	23,208
87	B	Centerville	65	263/100K	1052/100K	5,323
88	B	Emmetsburg	65	305.6/100K	500.1/100K	3,599
89	B	Creston	64	272.3/100K	1034.7/100K	7,345
90	B	Red Oak	64	276.9/100K	941.5/100K	5,417
91	B	Clarinda	63	283.8/100K	1021.6/100K	5,286
92	B	Greenfield	63	345.8/100K	296.4/100K	2,024
93	B	Washington	62	221.6/100K	1869.5/100K	7,221
94	B	Clear Lake	61	252.1/100K	1632.2/100K	7,536
95	B	Charles City	61	320.5/100K	836/100K	7,177
96	B	Indianola	60	273.2/100K	1471.7/100K	16,104
97	B	Webster City	60	286.5/100K	1328.3/100K	7,679
98	B	West Liberty	60	379.6/100K	271.1/100K	3,688
99	C	Maquoketa	58	248.8/100K	1990.4/100K	6,029
100	C	Keokuk	58	287.5/100K	1586.5/100K	9,392
101	C	Mar-Mac	58	346.3/100K	865.8/100K	1,155
102	C	Sheldon	58	370.6/100K	611.6/100K	5,396
103	C	Mason City	57	224/100K	2322.1/100K	26,786
104	C	Fort Madison	57	281/100K	1706.1/100K	9,964
105	C	Storm Lake	57	287.1/100K	1679.1/100K	11,494
106	C	Hiawatha	56	359.6/100K	982/100K	7,230
107	C	Marshalltown	55	297.4/100K	1773.3/100K	27,576
108	C	Perry	55	398.9/100K	585.9/100K	8,022
109	C	Spirit Lake	54	341.9/100K	1385.6/100K	5,557
110	C	Iowa City	53	321.3/100K	1673.8/100K	75,934
111	C	Knoxville	53	324.9/100K	1719.2/100K	7,387
112	C	West Burlington	51	190.5/100K	9590.3/100K	3,149
113	C	Cedar Rapids	50	261.5/100K	2689.1/100K	135,363
114	C	Newton	50	384.3/100K	1390/100K	15,611
115	C	Windsor Heights	48	219.5/100K	4609.9/100K	5,011
116	C	Belle Plaine	48	384/100K	1578.5/100K	2,344
117	C	Dubuque	48	400.9/100K	1434.7/100K	58,620
118	C	Atlantic	46	368.8/100K	1991.7/100K	6,778
119	C	Burlington	43	413.8/100K	1825.6/100K	23,444
120	C	Clinton	40	359.9/100K	2726.4/100K	24,171
121	D	Ottumwa	38	397.1/100K	2616.6/100K	25,185
122	D	Albia	38	576.9/100K	522/100K	3,640
123	D	Council Bluffs	37	420.8/100K	2452.3/100K	62,269
124	D	De Soto	35	426.9/100K	2561.4/100K	937
125	D	Waterloo	31	476/100K	2444.8/100K	66,385
126	D	Shenandoah	30	656.8/100K	513.1/100K	4,872
127	F	Eldora	24	2102/100K	661.7/100K	2,569
128	F	Sioux City	16	555.4/100K	3324/100K	85,711
129	F	Carter Lake	14	560.1/100K	4747.9/100K	3,749
130	F	Davenport	12	581.4/100K	3540.6/100K	99,926
131	F	Sabula	11	612.2/100K	3265.3/100K	490
132	F	Des Moines	3	703/100K	3126.5/100K	209,245
133	F	Fort Dodge	2	1061.1/100K	3195.7/100K	24,502

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Iowa's overall crime safety grade?

Iowa has an overall safety grade of B (score: 65/100). This is based on the state's aggregate violent crime rate of 238.5 per 100K and property crime rate of 1286.3 per 100K compared to national averages.

How many cities in Iowa have an A+ safety grade?

19 cities in Iowa earned an A+ safety grade (2024), meaning their crime rates are well below the national average. 50 additional cities earned an A grade.

Which is the safest city in Iowa?

Dyersville is the highest-rated city in Iowa with an A+ grade (score: 95/100). Its violent crime rate is 21.9 per 100K.

Nationwide states with similar crime grades

FBI UCR peer sets for Iowa grade pages, ranked across all states so these neighborhoods are not the alphabetically adjacent list below.

Similar safety score

Nearest states by statewide safety score (65/100 here, grade B).

Similar graded-city count

Nearest states by cities with A–F grades (133 here); safety-score peers above are excluded.

Nearby States, Crime Grades

Compare Iowa's grade distribution with neighboring states, or use the compare tool to benchmark jurisdictions side-by-side.

Explore More

Iowa Crime Overview → Safest Cities in Iowa → All State Grades →

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Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, 2024. Safety scores based on violent and property crime rates vs. national averages published in FBI Crime in the United States (CIUS) Table 8. Population figures reference U.S. Census Bureau estimates where FBI-reported populations are unavailable. Verify with FBI.gov UCR and Census.gov QuickFacts.

Read our methodology , how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Every figure on PlainCrime is rendered directly from FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FBI Uniform Crime Reporting source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.