The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Iowa: Crime Maps and Statistics

B+

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	B
Property Crime Grade	B+
Other Crime Grade	B

Which crimes are included?

$1.1 billion

Cost of Crime™ for Iowa

In 2025, crime will cost $791 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Iowa 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 Iowa Safe?

The B+ overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US state, where Iowa's combined rate is lower than the norm. Iowa sits in the 73rd percentile, ahead of 73% of states and behind 27%. The grade covers only Iowa's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby states.

The overall crime rate in Iowa is 25.75 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the east part of the state the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 34 in the southeast cities to 1 in 43 in the east.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of Iowa report the most crime, about 15,965 cases per year. The west part reports the fewest, around 3,035 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Iowa

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Iowa for 2025 is $1,065,792,595, about $326 per resident and $791 per household. That equals 0.8% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 60.8%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 27.0%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.1%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Iowa Compared to Other States?

Iowa:	$326
New Mexico:	$835
New Jersey:	$240
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Iowa is $326 per year, which is $139 less than the national average. The comparison below uses states similar to Iowa:

In New Mexico, crime costs $835 per person, which is $509 more than in Iowa.
In New Jersey, crime costs $240 per person, which is $86 less than in Iowa

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to Iowa	Cost per Iowa Resident
Murder	$152.8 million	$47
Rape/Sexual Assault	$148.0 million	$45
Robbery	$22.8 million	$7
Assault	$193.6 million	$59
Kidnapping	$14.7 million	$4
Vehicle Theft	$80.1 million	$24
Burglary	$64.7 million	$20
Theft	$163.2 million	$50
Arson	$7.66 million	$2
Vandalism	$103.0 million	$31
Animal Cruelty	$1.85 million	$1
Drug Crimes	$103.6 million	$32
Identity Theft	$9.80 million	$3
Total Cost of Crime	$1,065,792,595	$326

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Iowa

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 Iowa totals $1,783,949,137 ($545 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $2,849,741,732 ($871 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 east part of the state 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 Iowa has 836, do the same, and of Iowa's 3,273,549 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 Iowa at ISP Reports.

Iowa 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 Iowa residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	2.059
Robbery	0.2214
Rape	0.7457
Murder	0.0248
Total Violent Crime	3.051 (B)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	9.624
Vehicle Theft	1.580
Burglary	2.181
Arson	0.0969
Total Property Crime	13.48 (B+)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.0741
Drug Crimes	4.279
Vandalism	4.402
Identity Theft	0.3869
Animal Cruelty	0.0763
Total "Other" Rate	9.219 (B)

Individual Iowa Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby States

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

Nearby State	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Wisconsin	B	B-	A-
Minnesota	C	B	C
Illinois	B	B+	B+
Missouri	D	D	D+
Nebraska	C+	B+	C+
South Dakota	C	C	B-
Kansas	D+	C-	C
Indiana	A-	B-	B+
Michigan	B	D+	B+
Kentucky	B-	A-	B

Crime Maps and Rates for State with Similar Populations

Iowa is lower versus other states of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in states with comparable overall population in the state‘s boundaries.

Similar State	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Rhode Island	A	A	A
Mississippi	A+	A+	A+
Montana	C-	D+	D+
Nevada	D	D	D
New Hampshire	A	A+	A+
New Mexico	F	F	F
Ohio	C+	B-	B-
Oklahoma	D+	D+	D+
Puerto Rico	F	F	F
Alaska	C+	F	F

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

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Iowa average SchoolGrade of A, with 61% actual proficiency versus 53% projected; overall, schools greatly exceed expectations. See Iowa 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.