The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Dubuque County, IA: Crime Maps and Statistics

Crime per Capita in Dubuque County

This overview combines violent, property, and other offenses into a single grade for Dubuque County. The dedicated violent crime and property crime pages go deeper on each. The map below shows the overall crime rate per 1,000 residents.

 

Dubuque County, IA Map of Crime Rates
Click the map to explore
A+ B C D F
Safest Highest crime
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B

Overall Crime Grade™

B+
B
Other Crime Grade
B-

$31.4 million

Cost of Crime™ for Dubuque County, IA

In 2025, crime will cost $742 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Dubuque County 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 Dubuque County, IA Safe?

The B overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where Dubuque County's combined rate is slightly lower than the norm. Dubuque County sits in the 65th percentile, ahead of 65% of counties and behind 35%. The grade covers only Dubuque County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in Dubuque County is 25.62 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the south part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 24 in the east areas to 1 in 68 in the south.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the northeast parts of Dubuque County, IA report the most crime, about 653 cases per year. The northwest part reports the fewest, around 49 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Dubuque County, IA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Dubuque County for 2025 is $31,380,030, about $310 per resident and $742 per household. That equals 0.8% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 62.7%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 24.9%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.4%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Dubuque County Compared to Other Counties?

Dubuque County, IA: $310
Scott County, IA: $372
Dallas County, IA: $264
Iowa: $326
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Dubuque County is $310 per year, which is $154 less than the national average and $15 less than Iowa's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Dubuque County:
  • In Scott County, IA, crime costs $372 per person, which is $61 more than in Dubuque County.
  • In Dallas County, IA, crime costs $264 per person, which is $46 less than in Dubuque County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Dubuque County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to Dubuque County
Cost per Dubuque County Resident
Murder
$3.72 million
$37
Rape/Sexual Assault
$5.08 million
$50
Robbery
$565,045
$6
Assault
$5.13 million
$51
Kidnapping
$444,454
$4
Vehicle Theft
$2.24 million
$22
Burglary
$1.92 million
$19
Theft
$4.97 million
$49
Arson
$213,163
$2
Vandalism
$3.60 million
$36
Animal Cruelty
$53,140
$1
Drug Crimes
$3.16 million
$31
Identity Theft
$290,068
$3
Total Cost of Crime
$31,380,030
$310

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Dubuque County, 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 Dubuque County totals $50,624,684 ($501 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $82,004,714 ($811 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 central part of the county 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, of which Dubuque County has 31, do the same, and of Dubuque County's 101,077 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 Dubuque County, IA at ISP Reports.

Dubuque County 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 Dubuque County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
1.767
Robbery
0.1777
Rape
0.8295
Murder
0.0196
Total Violent Crime
2.794 (B+)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
9.490
Vehicle Theft
1.434
Burglary
2.094
Arson
0.0873
Total Property Crime
13.10 (B)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.0725
Drug Crimes
4.222
Vandalism
4.982
Identity Theft
0.3708
Animal Cruelty
0.0711
Total "Other" Rate
9.718 (B-)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

Compared to surrounding counties, the rate of crime in Dubuque County is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for counties close to Dubuque County.

Nearby County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
B
B-
C+
A-
A-
A
B
B
B+
A
A
A
A-
B+
A
B+
B-
A-
B
B
B+
A-
A
A
B+
B+
B
B
B+
B+

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Dubuque County is higher versus other counties of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in counties with comparable overall population in the county‘s boundaries.

Similar County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
B
C+
C+
A+
C+
C+
C+
A
A
A
A-
A-
A-
A
A
C
C
C
A+
B+
B+
A
A
A
A
B+
B+
C+
C-
C-

Considering only the crime rate, Dubuque County is as safe as 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 Dubuque County, IA average SchoolGrade of A, with 61% actual proficiency versus 53% projected; overall, schools greatly exceed expectations. See Dubuque County 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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Home Security

A crime occurs on average every 3 hours 22 minutes in Dubuque County. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in Dubuque County, IA

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.