The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Dow City, IA: Crime Maps and Statistics

B+

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	A
Property Crime Grade	A
Other Crime Grade	C-

Which crimes are included?

$225,435

Cost of Crime™ for Dow City, IA

In 2025, crime will cost $583 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Dow City with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is Dow City, IA Safe?

The B+ overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Dow City's combined rate is slightly lower than the norm. Dow City sits in the 69th percentile, ahead of 69% of cities and behind 31%. The grade covers only Dow City's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Dow City is 18.28 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the northwest part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 52 in the southwest neighborhoods to 1 in 71 in the northwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of Dow City, IA report the most crime, about 5 cases per year. The east part reports the fewest, around 0 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Dow City, IA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Dow City for 2025 is $225,435, about $231 per resident and $583 per household. That equals 0.6% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 65.2%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 21.0%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 13.8%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Dow City Compared to Other Cities?

Dow City, IA:	$231
Shenandoah, IA:	$542
Norwalk, IA:	$145
Iowa:	$326
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Dow City is $231 per year, which is $234 less than the national average and $95 less than Iowa's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Dow City:

In Shenandoah, IA, crime costs $542 per person, which is $311 more than in Dow City.
In Norwalk, IA, crime costs $145 per person, which is $85 less than in Dow City

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Dow City for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to Dow City	Cost per Dow City Resident
Murder	$40,744	$42
Rape/Sexual Assault	$44,690	$46
Robbery	$5,517	$6
Assault	$13,396	$14
Kidnapping	$6,306	$6
Vehicle Theft	$4,616	$5
Burglary	$8,309	$8
Theft	$26,397	$27
Arson	$2,928	$3
Vandalism	$33,226	$34
Animal Cruelty	$487	$0
Drug Crimes	$34,198	$35
Identity Theft	$4,622	$5
Total Cost of Crime	$225,435	$231

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Dow City, IA

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in Dow City totals $490,684 ($502 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $716,119 ($732 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The west part of the city holds more retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas do the same, and of Dow City's 978 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Dow City, IA at ISP Reports.

Dow City Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 Dow City residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	0.4769
Robbery	0.1793
Rape	0.7536
Murder	0.0222
Total Violent Crime	1.432 (A)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	5.212
Vehicle Theft	0.3048
Burglary	0.9367
Arson	0.1240
Total Property Crime	6.577 (A)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.1063
Drug Crimes	4.727
Vandalism	4.755
Identity Theft	0.6106
Animal Cruelty	0.0674
Total "Other" Rate	10.27 (C-)

Individual Dow City Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in Dow City is lower. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to Dow City.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Arion, IA	A-	A-	A+
Buck Grove, IA	B+	B	B
Kenwood, IA	A-	A-	A
Dunlap, IA	A-	B+	A
Denison, IA	C-	D-	C
Defiance, IA	B	B+	A
Earling, IA	B	A-	A-
Charter Oak, IA	C	C	C
Manilla, IA	C	C	C
Panama, IA	B+	C+	A

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Dow City is lower versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Herron, MI	A+	A-	A-
Toney Creek, SC	D	C	C
Thompson, WI	A	A-	A-
Theta, TN	B-	B	B
Tennessee, AR	D	D-	D-
Templeton, PA	A+	A	A
Summersville, KY	B-	A-	A-
Startex, SC	D+	D+	D+
St. Paul, KS	C	C-	C-
Spruce Head, ME	A-	A+	A+

Considering only the crime rate, Dow City is safer than the Iowa state average and safer than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Dow City, IA average SchoolGrade of A, with 64% actual proficiency versus 57% projected; overall, schools greatly exceed expectations. See Dow City schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.