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

C-

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	B-
Property Crime Grade	B-
Other Crime Grade	D-

Which crimes are included?

$78,292

Cost of Crime™ for Ellston, IA

In 2025, crime will cost $686 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Ellston 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 Ellston, IA Safe?

The C- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Ellston's combined rate is slightly higher than the norm. Ellston sits in the 38th percentile, ahead of 38% of cities and behind 62%. The grade covers only Ellston's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Ellston is 28.21 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the south part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 36 in the east neighborhoods to 1 in 41 in the south.

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

The Cost of Crime™ in Ellston, IA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Ellston for 2025 is $78,292, about $316 per resident and $686 per household. That equals 0.5% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 67.9%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 18.6%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 13.5%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Ellston Compared to Other Cities?

Ellston, IA:	$316
Shenandoah, IA:	$542
Norwalk, IA:	$145
Iowa:	$326
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Ellston is $316 per year, which is $149 less than the national average and $10 less than Iowa's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Ellston:

In Shenandoah, IA, crime costs $542 per person, which is $226 more than in Ellston.
In Norwalk, IA, crime costs $145 per person, which is $170 less than in Ellston

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to Ellston	Cost per Ellston Resident
Murder	$6,948	$28
Rape/Sexual Assault	$12,592	$51
Robbery	$3,275	$13
Assault	$10,140	$41
Kidnapping	$1,183	$5
Vehicle Theft	$419	$2
Burglary	$7,253	$29
Theft	$9,433	$38
Arson	$766	$3
Vandalism	$16,279	$66
Animal Cruelty	$133	$1
Drug Crimes	$9,329	$38
Identity Theft	$543	$2
Total Cost of Crime	$78,292	$316

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Ellston, 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 Ellston totals $111,030 ($448 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $189,322 ($763 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 city holds few 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 Ellston has 2, do the same, and of Ellston's 248 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 Ellston, IA at ISP Reports.

Ellston 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 Ellston residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	1.424
Robbery	0.4198
Rape	0.8374
Murder	0.0149
Total Violent Crime	2.696 (B-)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	7.345
Vehicle Theft	0.1091
Burglary	3.224
Arson	0.1278
Total Property Crime	10.81 (B-)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.0786
Drug Crimes	5.086
Vandalism	9.189
Identity Theft	0.2827
Animal Cruelty	0.0725
Total "Other" Rate	14.71 (D-)

Individual Ellston Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

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

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Beaconsfield, IA	C	C+	B-
Grand River, IA	B	C-	B+
Tingley, IA	C	C-	B+
Arispe, IA	C-	B	C
Kellerton, IA	C	C-	C+
Thayer, IA	B-	C	A-
Shannon City, IA	C	C+	C+
Mount Ayr, IA	C+	D+	B
Murray, IA	A	A+	A
Diagonal, IA	A-	F	A+

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Ellston 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
Blankston, LA	D-	F	F
Wolfs Corner, PA	A	B-	B-
Womacks, VA	C	C+	C+
Bowers, DE	D	D+	D+
Wonalancet, NH	D-	A	A
Bovill, ID	D+	B+	B+
Borden, NY	A+	A+	A+
Wood, SD	F	F	F
Board Camp, AR	C-	D+	D+
Bluffton, GA	C-	C+	C+

Considering only the crime rate, Ellston is as safe as the Iowa state average and as safe as the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Ellston, IA average SchoolGrade of A, with 63% actual proficiency versus 59% projected; overall, schools exceed expectations. See Ellston 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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A crime occurs on average every 34 days 22 hours in Ellston. Want to protect your home?

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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.