Iowa Crime Grades

Statewide grade B

148 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 148 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 148 graded Iowa cities, 33 earned A+, 51 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 Blue Grass with a A+ grade (score: 100/100, violent rate 0/100K). The lowest-rated city is Fort Dodge with a F grade (score: 2/100, violent rate 1061.1/100K).

Roughly 57% of graded cities in Iowa achieved an A or A+ rating, while 9% 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+
33 cities
A
51 cities
B
29 cities
C
22 cities
D
6 cities
F
7 cities

The safest cities in Iowa

Violent crimes per 100,000 residents, FBI UCR 2024. Lower is safer, hover a bar for the exact rate.

/100K

What this shows Blue Grass reports the lowest violent-crime rate in Iowa. At 0 per 100K, it runs well below the Iowa average of 238.5. These eight cities anchor the safe end of the state.

Source FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program As of 2024
# Grade City Score
1 A+ Blue Grass 100
2 A+ Princeton 100
3 A+ Sigourney 100
4 A+ Urbana 100
5 A+ New Sharon 99
6 A+ Denver 98
7 A+ Hawarden 98
8 A+ Rock Valley 98
9 A+ Grundy Center 97
10 A+ Robins 97
11 A+ Dyersville 95
12 A+ Sioux Center 95
13 A+ Monticello 94
14 A+ Waukon 94
15 A+ Polk City 94
16 A+ Orange City 94
17 A+ Ogden 94
18 A+ Van Meter 94
19 A+ Huxley 93
20 A+ Mitchellville 93
21 A+ Eldridge 93
22 A+ Durant 93
23 A+ Prairie City 93
24 A+ University Heights 92
25 A+ Preston 91
26 A+ Vinton 91
27 A+ Dysart 91
28 A+ Buffalo 91
29 A+ Mechanicsville 90
30 A+ Lake City 90
31 A+ North Liberty 90
32 A+ New Hampton 90
33 A+ Sumner 90
34 A Story City 89
35 A Algona 89
36 A Asbury 89
37 A Cresco 89
38 A Glenwood 88
39 A Panora 88
40 A Norwalk 88
41 A Carroll 87
42 A Adel 87
43 A Lansing 87
44 A West Branch 87
45 A Mount Pleasant 86
46 A Spencer 86
47 A Johnston 86
48 A Urbandale 86
49 A Peosta 86
50 A Hampton 86
51 A Decorah 86
52 A Walcott 86
53 A Anamosa 85
54 A Gowrie 85
55 A Fairbank 84
56 A Carlisle 84
57 A Le Claire 84
58 A Colfax 84
59 A Woodward 84
60 A Le Mars 83
61 A Osage 83
62 A Marion 83
63 A Bettendorf 82
64 A Fairfield 82
65 A Monroe 82
66 A Wilton 82
67 A Pella 81
68 A Tipton 81
69 A Denison 80
70 A Waukee 80
71 A Clarence 80
72 A Jefferson 79
73 A Oskaloosa 78
74 A Waverly 78
75 A Independence 78
76 A Clarion 78
77 A Earlham 78
78 A Manchester 77
79 A Mount Vernon-Lisbon 76
80 A Cherokee 76
81 A Missouri Valley 75
82 A Ankeny 75
83 A Winterset 75
84 A Camanche 75
85 B Williamsburg 74
86 B Oelwein 74
87 B Ames 72
88 B Marengo 72
89 B Grinnell 72
90 B Evansdale 70
91 B Estherville 70
92 B Coralville 69
93 B West Des Moines 69
94 B Clive 69
95 B Sac City 69
96 B Altoona 68
97 B Osceola 66
98 B Iowa Falls 66
99 B DeWitt 66
100 B Postville 66
101 B Muscatine 65
102 B Centerville 65
103 B Emmetsburg 65
104 B Creston 64
105 B Red Oak 64
106 B Clarinda 63
107 B Greenfield 63
108 B Washington 62
109 B Clear Lake 61
110 B Charles City 61
111 B Indianola 60
112 B Webster City 60
113 B West Liberty 60
114 C Maquoketa 58
115 C Keokuk 58
116 C Mar-Mac 58
117 C Sheldon 58
118 C Mason City 57
119 C Fort Madison 57
120 C Storm Lake 57
121 C Hiawatha 56
122 C Marshalltown 55
123 C Perry 55
124 C Spirit Lake 54
125 C Iowa City 53
126 C Knoxville 53
127 C West Burlington 51
128 C Cedar Rapids 50
129 C Newton 50
130 C Windsor Heights 48
131 C Belle Plaine 48
132 C Dubuque 48
133 C Atlantic 46
134 C Burlington 43
135 C Clinton 40
136 D Ottumwa 38
137 D Albia 38
138 D Council Bluffs 37
139 D De Soto 35
140 D Waterloo 31
141 D Shenandoah 30
142 F Eldora 24
143 F Sioux City 16
144 F Carter Lake 14
145 F Davenport 12
146 F Sabula 11
147 F Des Moines 3
148 F Fort Dodge 2

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?
33 cities in Iowa earned an A+ safety grade (2024), meaning their crime rates are well below the national average. 51 additional cities earned an A grade.
Which is the safest city in Iowa?
Blue Grass is the highest-rated city in Iowa with a A+ grade (score: 100/100). Its violent crime rate is 0 per 100K.

Nearby States, Crime Grades

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

Illinois
IL grades
Indiana
IN grades
Kansas
KS grades
Kentucky
KY grades
Louisiana
LA grades

Explore More

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

Other States

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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.