The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Henry County, IA

Henry County is home to 20,000 residents and includes Mount Pleasant and New London · Updated November 2026

Is Henry County, IA safe?

Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Henry County: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 96% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A; see the map and the safest and least safe places below.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 978 of 1,000
Safer than nearly all US neighborhoods What this means

96% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Henry County as a whole, and 4% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Henry County scores 978.

Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.

A+
Violent crimeSafety score 979 of 1,000Less violent crime than nearly all US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 975 of 1,000Less property crime than nearly all US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Henry County

Map of Henry County shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Henry County, IA at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Henry County, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.

Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports


What stands out in Henry County

Thefts and acts of vandalism both run low. In Henry County, each runs at less than half the US rate: 4.4 thefts and 1.8 acts of vandalism a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 and 5.5 nationally.


How places in Henry County compare

Every part of Henry County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Henry County run from A+ to A; every part of Henry County has less crime than the typical US neighborhood.

A or B 100%

Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.

Least crime

  1. 1Salem1,060A+991
  2. 2Wayland1,740A+987

Most crime

  1. 1Mount Pleasant10,600A+956
  2. 2New London3,390A+984

Cities and towns in Henry County with at least 1,000 residents. Ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.

Across the county, the southwest side has the least crime and the Mount Pleasant area the most.


Is crime going up in Henry County?

Reported property crime in Henry County has fallen 55% since 2019. Too few violent crimes are reported here each year for a reliable violent crime trend. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 13 to 5.7 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime fell 24%.

Property crime, change since 2019

Henry CountyUnited States

Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police departments across Henry County. The charts follow crimes per resident.

Data table
YearProperty, Henry CountyProperty, US
2016+16%+15%
2017+19%+12%
2018-18%+4%
2019+0%+0%
2020-26%-8%
2021-42%-10%
2022-38%-6%
2023-40%-7%
2024-55%-15%

Crime rates and types in Henry County

CrimeGrade™ estimates Henry County has about 14 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 64% less than the US as a whole and 52% less than Iowa.

Overall crime

Violent crime

Property crime

Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.

The largest share of crime reported in Henry County is assault, about 38% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.020.05
RapeA+30.170.38
RobberyA+under 10.030.62
AssaultA+1025.112.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+301.52.4
TheftA+874.413.1
Vehicle theftA+120.592.7
ArsonA+under 10.040.12
VandalismA+351.85.5

Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.

Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.


Where and when crime happens in Henry County

These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Henry County, 2022 to 2024.

In Henry County, 74% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (74%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
VandalismHomes (43%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assaultHomes (64%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)

Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.


How Henry County compares with nearby counties

Henry County has less crime than 5 of its 10 nearest counties.

Nearby counties

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Henry CountyA+978A+A+20,000
Louisa County 22 milesA+986A+A+10,700
Jefferson County 22 milesA+980A+A+15,700
Des Moines County 23 milesA905AA38,500
Van Buren County 27 milesA+989A+A+7,240
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Washington County 28 milesA+965A+A+22,600
Lee County 30 milesA+932A+A+32,900
Henderson County, IL 33 milesA+985A+A+6,190
Clark County, MO 40 milesA+975A+A+6,680
Keokuk County 41 milesA+991A+A+9,920
Muscatine County 41 milesA+942A+A+42,600

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Henry County. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with counties of similar size and density, Henry County is safer than 86% of them.

Counties of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Henry CountyA+978A+A+20,000
Taylor County, WIA+978A+A+20,000
Spencer County, INA+973A+A+20,000
Clay County, KYA+963A+A+19,900
Freestone County, TXA+963A+A+20,000
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Pike County, GAA+960A+A+19,900
DeWitt County, TXA+957A+A+20,000
Simpson County, KYA+942A+A+20,000
Lincoln County, WVA+942A+A+19,900
Davison County, SDA+929A+A20,000
Hertford County, NCA856A-A19,900

Transit, empty homes and walkability in Henry County

One thing sets Henry County apart: it has 5% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places like that tend to report less robbery.

Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Henry County: F (3 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.8.8% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 80% of Americans
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 83% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (15 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 59% of Americans
Show all 6
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.5% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 79% of Americans
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.61% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 77% of Americans
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.10.9 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 63% of Americans

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Henry County on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.

These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.


What crime costs Henry County

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Henry County about $392 a year per household, 67% less than the US figure of $1,205.

Cost of crime per resident, per year

Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $9.5 million a year, or $477 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$580,000$29
Rape$210,000$10
Robbery$19,000$1
Assault$1.1 million$53
Burglary$270,000$13
Theft$450,000$22
Vehicle theft$180,000$9
Arson$19,000$1
Vandalism$250,000$12
Total$3.0 million$152

How CrimeGrade™ works

A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Henry County means the same as a B anywhere else.

CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.

The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.

Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.

Where the numbers come from

  • Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
  • State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • Published research on what crime costs victims and communities

These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Henry County

Schools in Henry County, IA average a SchoolGrade of D+: 69% of students test proficient, against 55% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Henry County on SchoolGrade