State crime profile · 2024
Iowa Crime Rates: Safest & Most Dangerous Cities
Crime data for 148 cities and 87 of 99 counties in Iowa (IA), ranked safest to most dangerous from 282 reporting agencies.
Data updated 2026-09-05
- 238.5
- Violent / 100K
- 1,286.3
- Property / 100K
- 148
- Cities
- 87
- Counties
Iowa violent crime is 238.5 per 100,000, 32% below the U.S. average
According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program for 2024, Iowa records 238.5 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 32% below the national average (about the 16th-safest of 51 states and D.C.). Statewide averages hide city and county variation; UCR participation is voluntary.
- 238.5 violent crimes per 100K
- -32% vs. the U.S. average
- 16th safest of 51 states & DC
- 1,286.3 property crimes per 100K
How safe is Iowa? FBI UCR data snapshot
Iowa (IA) reported 7,730 violent crimes and 41,694 property crimes in 2024, based on FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program submissions from 282 law enforcement agencies. That translates to a statewide violent crime rate of 238.5 per 100,000 residents and a property crime rate of 1286.3 per 100,000 against a reporting population of 3,241,488. The PlainCrime dataset indexes 148 Iowa cities and 87 counties, each with their own detail pages and local crime figures drawn from FBI UCR Tables 8 and 10.
The FBI's state-level summary reports violent and property crime as aggregate totals rather than broken out by individual offense type (murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, arson). For an offense-by-offense breakdown, see the individual city and county pages for Iowa below, which draw on FBI UCR Tables 8 and 10 and do report each offense type separately.
Across 11 years of state-level UCR history (2014–2024), the violent crime rate moved from 264.7 to 238.5 per 100,000, a decline of 9.9%. City-level detail pages within Iowa include safety grades (A+ to F), benchmarks against national averages, per-capita risk estimates, and multi-year trend tables for users comparing specific jurisdictions. All figures above are drawn from FBI UCR 2024 submissions; reporting completeness varies by agency, and the FBI periodically restates prior-year figures as late submissions arrive.
How Iowa ranks nationally
Iowa vs. every U.S. state
Violent crime per 100,000 residents, FBI UCR 2024. Lower is safer.
239 Safer than 69% among 51 U.S. states
Each bar is a band of values; taller bars hold more U.S. states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program · 2024
Safest cities · Most dangerous cities · Crime trends
Crime Trends
| Year | Population | Violent Crime | Rate | Property Crime | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3,241,488 | 7,730 | 238.5 | 41,694 | 1286.3 |
| 2023 | 3,207,004 | 8,524 | 265.8 | 45,366 | 1414.6 |
| 2022 | 3,200,517 | 8,885 | 277.6 | 43,637 | 1363.4 |
| 2021 | 3,193,079 | 9,024 | 282.6 | 46,812 | 1466 |
| 2020 | 3,163,561 | 9,621 | 304.1 | 53,462 | 1689.9 |
| 2019 | 3,155,070 | 8,914 | 282.5 | 57,810 | 1832.3 |
| 2018 | 3,156,145 | 7,023 | 222.5 | 47,944 | 1519.1 |
| 2017 | 3,145,711 | 8,950 | 284.5 | 65,326 | 2076.7 |
| 2016 | 3,134,693 | 9,012 | 287.5 | 65,386 | 2085.9 |
| 2015 | 3,123,899 | 8,488 | 271.7 | 64,126 | 2052.8 |
| 2014 | 3,107,126 | 8,226 | 264.7 | 63,714 | 2050.6 |
Cities in Iowa
Safest cities in Iowa
Cities with 25,000+ residents, lowest violent crime per 100,000, FBI UCR 2024. Hover a bar for the exact rate.
- Urbandale 89
Urbandale
89 /100K
- Bettendorf
Bettendorf
105 /100K
- Marion
Marion
123 /100K
- Waukee
Waukee
142 /100K
- Ames
Ames
148 /100K
- West Des Moines
West Des Moines
165 /100K
- Ankeny
Ankeny
166 /100K
- Mason City
Mason City
224 /100K
What this shows Urbandale is the safest sizeable city in Iowa, at 89.1 violent crimes per 100,000.
Highest violent-crime cities in Iowa
Cities with 25,000+ residents, highest violent crime per 100,000, FBI UCR 2024. Hover a bar for the exact rate.
- Des Moines
Des Moines
703 /100K
- Davenport
Davenport
581 /100K
- Sioux City
Sioux City
555 /100K
- Waterloo
Waterloo
476 /100K
- Council Bluffs
Council Bluffs
421 /100K
- Dubuque
Dubuque
401 /100K
- Ottumwa
Ottumwa
397 /100K
- Iowa City
Iowa City
321 /100K
What this shows Des Moines reports the highest big-city violent-crime rate in Iowa, at 703 per 100,000.
Des Moines is both volume #1 and rate #1 among 18 Iowa cities with 25,000+ residents in FBI UCR 2024. That non-invert is disclosed, not hidden.
| City | Population | Violent / 100K | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | 209,245 | 703 | F |
| Cedar Rapids | 135,363 | 261.5 | C |
| Davenport | 99,926 | 581.4 | F |
| Sioux City | 85,711 | 555.4 | F |
| Ankeny | 76,547 | 165.9 | A |
| Iowa City | 75,934 | 321.3 | C |
| West Des Moines | 73,335 | 165 | B |
| Waterloo | 66,385 | 476 | D |
| Ames | 65,426 | 148.3 | B |
| Council Bluffs | 62,269 | 420.8 | D |
| Dubuque | 58,620 | 400.9 | C |
| Urbandale | 47,119 | 89.1 | A |
| Marion | 42,420 | 122.6 | A |
| Bettendorf | 40,105 | 104.7 | A |
| Waukee | 34,520 | 141.9 | A |
| Marshalltown | 27,576 | 297.4 | C |
| Mason City | 26,786 | 224 | C |
| Ottumwa | 25,185 | 397.1 | D |
| Johnston | 24,819 | 76.6 | A |
| Fort Dodge | 24,502 | 1,061.1 | F |
| Clinton | 24,171 | 359.9 | C |
| Coralville | 24,033 | 133.2 | B |
| Burlington | 23,444 | 413.8 | C |
| Muscatine | 23,208 | 245.6 | B |
| Altoona | 22,422 | 142.7 | B |
| North Liberty | 21,635 | 69.3 | A+ |
| Clive | 19,124 | 209.2 | B |
| Indianola | 16,104 | 273.2 | B |
| Newton | 15,611 | 384.3 | C |
| Norwalk | 15,588 | 109.1 | A |
| Spencer | 11,501 | 52.2 | A |
| Storm Lake | 11,494 | 287.1 | C |
| Oskaloosa | 11,419 | 140.1 | A |
| Pella | 10,940 | 109.7 | A |
| Le Mars | 10,624 | 94.1 | A |
| Waverly | 10,611 | 141.4 | A |
| Carroll | 10,118 | 39.5 | A |
| Fort Madison | 9,964 | 281 | C |
| Grinnell | 9,451 | 169.3 | B |
| Keokuk | 9,392 | 287.5 | C |
| Fairfield | 9,251 | 140.5 | A |
| Sioux Center | 8,643 | 46.3 | A+ |
| Mount Pleasant | 8,371 | 47.8 | A |
| Denison | 8,037 | 124.4 | A |
| Perry | 8,022 | 398.9 | C |
| Webster City | 7,679 | 286.5 | B |
| Decorah | 7,578 | 118.8 | A |
| Clear Lake | 7,536 | 252.1 | B |
| Knoxville | 7,387 | 324.9 | C |
| Creston | 7,345 | 272.3 | B |
| Hiawatha | 7,230 | 359.6 | C |
| Washington | 7,221 | 221.6 | B |
| Charles City | 7,177 | 320.5 | B |
| Eldridge | 6,886 | 43.6 | A+ |
| Atlantic | 6,778 | 368.8 | C |
| Adel | 6,577 | 76 | A |
| Polk City | 6,557 | 30.5 | A+ |
| Orange City | 6,438 | 46.6 | A+ |
| Independence | 6,221 | 160.7 | A |
| Maquoketa | 6,029 | 248.8 | C |
| Asbury | 6,022 | 99.6 | A |
| Estherville | 5,808 | 275.5 | B |
| Anamosa | 5,791 | 103.6 | A |
| Oelwein | 5,753 | 208.6 | B |
| Osceola | 5,617 | 160.2 | B |
| DeWitt | 5,611 | 249.5 | B |
| Spirit Lake | 5,557 | 341.9 | C |
| Red Oak | 5,417 | 276.9 | B |
| Sheldon | 5,396 | 370.6 | C |
| Winterset | 5,373 | 186.1 | A |
| Centerville | 5,323 | 263 | B |
| Algona | 5,298 | 94.4 | A |
| Manchester | 5,295 | 132.2 | A |
| Clarinda | 5,286 | 283.8 | B |
| Glenwood | 5,218 | 57.5 | A |
| Cherokee | 5,158 | 213.3 | A |
| Windsor Heights | 5,011 | 219.5 | C |
| Iowa Falls | 4,974 | 201 | B |
| Vinton | 4,960 | 60.5 | A+ |
| Shenandoah | 4,872 | 656.8 | D |
| Le Claire | 4,755 | 126.2 | A |
| Huxley | 4,746 | 21.1 | A+ |
| Dyersville | 4,575 | 21.9 | A+ |
| Mount Vernon-Lisbon | 4,555 | 197.6 | A |
| Camanche | 4,546 | 198 | A |
| Evansdale | 4,468 | 134.3 | B |
| Carlisle | 4,381 | 114.1 | A |
| Hampton | 4,253 | 94.1 | A |
| Jefferson | 4,074 | 98.2 | A |
| Monticello | 4,059 | 0 | A+ |
| Rock Valley | 4,038 | 0 | A+ |
| Cresco | 3,895 | 102.7 | A |
| Waukon | 3,761 | 26.6 | A+ |
| Carter Lake | 3,749 | 560.1 | F |
| West Liberty | 3,688 | 379.6 | B |
| Albia | 3,640 | 576.9 | D |
| Emmetsburg | 3,599 | 305.6 | B |
| Osage | 3,505 | 114.1 | A |
| Story City | 3,403 | 58.8 | A |
| New Hampton | 3,399 | 88.3 | A+ |
Counties in Iowa
87 of 99 Census county-equivalents (87.9%) appear in FBI Table 10 for this vintage. Missing counties are absent from the FBI source for this year, not dropped by PlainCrime. See national county coverage and methodology.
Largest counties in Iowa, violent crime per 100K
Top 8 counties by population, violent crime per 100,000 residents. Hover a bar for the exact rate.
- Polk 13
Polk
13 /100K
- Linn 14
Linn
14 /100K
- Scott
Scott
17 /100K
- Johnson
Johnson
34 /100K
- Black Hawk 5
Black Hawk
5 /100K
- Woodbury
Woodbury
28 /100K
- Dallas
Dallas
42 /100K
- Dubuque
Dubuque
42 /100K
Nationwide peers for Iowa
Similar violent rate (~238.5/100K)
- West Virginia · 241.6/100K violent
- Idaho · 234.7/100K violent
- Hawaii · 230.5/100K violent
- Utah · 229.2/100K violent
Similar property rate (~1,286.3/100K)
- Indiana · 1321/100K property
- Wyoming · 1187.7/100K property
- Michigan · 1395.3/100K property
- New Jersey · 1395.7/100K property
Nearby States
Safest cities · Most dangerous · Trends · National rankings · Crime grades · Compare · Methodology
Primary source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, Crime in the United States annual release. State-level trends cross-check against the FBI Crime Data Explorer (CDE) API.
Population figures for rate calculations reference U.S. Census Bureau estimates where FBI-reported populations are unavailable. Verify with Census.gov QuickFacts.
Read our methodology , how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Put this to use
Put the Iowa FBI UCR state file to work: open a city, a county, or a national ranking built from the same vintage.
A statewide average hides city and county variation: open a local profile before treating the state figure as a place-level verdict.
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.