CrimeMetric

Crime in Iowa

Major crime across Iowa is 26% below the U.S. rate per resident: 25% lower for persons crimes and 26% lower for property crimes. That is the 42nd highest of the 50 states and DC. Expected major crimes are down 10.5% from a year earlier. Of the 113 places below, 33 are more than 5% above the statewide rate.

Major crime
74
26% below the U.S. rate
1,272 per 100,000
down 10.5% in a year
Persons crimes
75
25% below the U.S. rate
231 per 100,000
down 1.6% in a year
Property crimes
74
26% below the U.S. rate
1,040 per 100,000
down 12.2% in a year
Social disorder
100
about the U.S. rate
2,307 per 100,000
down 6.3% in a year
Cities and places

Larger places in Iowa, against the U.S. and the state

Major-crime index per resident; the U.S. rate is 100.

Highest major-crime index

  1. Council Bluffs209
  2. Fort Dodge188
  3. Davenport186
  4. Sioux City174
  5. Waterloo171

Lowest major-crime index

  1. Waukee31
  2. Urbandale40
  3. Johnston41
  4. Marion42
  5. Bettendorf45

Among the 21 places in Iowa of 25,000 or more residents that we publish.

PlaceIndexAgainst Iowa
Des Moines1642.2 times
Cedar Rapids1171.6 times
Davenport1862.5 times
Sioux City1742.4 times
Iowa City1161.6 times
West Des Moines809% higher
Ankeny72about the same
Ames5822% lower
Waterloo1712.3 times
Council Bluffs2092.8 times
Dubuque8920% higher
Urbandale4046% lower
Marion4243% lower
Cedar Falls71about the same
Bettendorf4539% lower
Waukee3158% lower
Marshalltown819% higher
Mason City1341.8 times
Ottumwa1161.6 times
Fort Dodge1882.5 times
Johnston4145% lower
Coralville11048% higher
Burlington8616% higher
Clinton1381.9 times
Muscatine6019% lower
Altoona4441% lower
North Liberty2369% lower
Grimes5428% lower
Clive6217% lower
Norwalk1876% lower
Newton75about the same
Indianola1822.5 times
Pleasant Hill3750% lower
Storm Lake819% higher
Fort Madison9731% higher
Oskaloosa5821% lower
Spencer5328% lower
Le Mars4243% lower
Waverly689% lower
Pella3060% lower
Carroll688% lower
Fairfield4342% lower
Keokuk8717% higher
Grinnell8210% higher
Mount Pleasant3849% lower
Denison3454% lower
Perry6118% lower
Knoxville76about the same
Webster City6611% lower
Decorah2665% lower

The 50 largest places in Iowa, largest first.

All 113 places in Iowa

Every place in Iowa with a page, A to Z.

Crime by type

Drugs and alcohol stands out most, at 46% above the U.S. rate

Every block group in Iowa, including towns and unincorporated areas: the index against the U.S. rate per resident, and expected crimes a year per 100,000 residents.

Persons crimes

Rape / sexual assault10334.4
Aggravated assault78180
Murder411.5
Robbery3615.5

Property crimes

Shoplifting94300
Burglary85138
Other larceny72360
Theft from vehicle58152
Motor vehicle theft5689.6

Social disorder

Drugs and alcohol146726
Disorderly conduct99117
Trespassing99231
Intimidation97220
Simple assault83606
Vandalism83339
Weapons violations6867.8

How crime varies across Iowa

Share of Iowa residents by the major-crime index of their census block group.

  • 0–5062.3%
  • 50–10018.7%
  • 100–20011.9%
  • 200–4004.7%
  • 400+2.4%

97.8% of Iowa residents live where agencies send detailed incident reports to the FBI. Data sources

2,703 block groups and 3,258,357 residents. How the estimates are made