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

Crime per Capita in Marion County

This overview combines violent, property, and other offenses into a single grade for Marion 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.

 

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

A

Overall Crime Grade™

A
A
Other Crime Grade
B+

$8.29 million

Cost of Crime™ for Marion County, IA

In 2025, crime will cost $589 per household.

More cost data

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

The A overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where Marion County's combined rate is much lower than the norm. Marion County sits in the 86th percentile, ahead of 86% of counties and behind 14%. The grade covers only Marion County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in Marion County is 19.43 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the north part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 43 in the southwest areas to 1 in 85 in the north.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the northeast parts of Marion County, IA report the most crime, about 267 cases per year. The south part reports the fewest, around 20 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Marion County, IA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Marion County for 2025 is $8,285,163, about $245 per resident and $589 per household. That equals 0.6% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 62.8%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 24.3%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.8%

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

Marion County, IA: $245
Scott County, IA: $372
Dallas County, IA: $264
Iowa: $326
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Marion County is $245 per year, which is $219 less than the national average and $81 less than Iowa's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Marion County:
  • In Scott County, IA, crime costs $372 per person, which is $127 more than in Marion County.
  • In Dallas County, IA, crime costs $264 per person, which is $19 more than in Marion County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Marion County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to Marion County
Cost per Marion County Resident
Murder
$1.33 million
$39
Rape/Sexual Assault
$1.50 million
$44
Robbery
$189,772
$6
Assault
$1.20 million
$35
Kidnapping
$119,655
$4
Vehicle Theft
$244,692
$7
Burglary
$388,038
$11
Theft
$1.37 million
$40
Arson
$82,014
$2
Vandalism
$819,300
$24
Animal Cruelty
$17,360
$1
Drug Crimes
$956,274
$28
Identity Theft
$77,515
$2
Total Cost of Crime
$8,285,163
$245

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Marion 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 Marion County totals $16,387,996 ($484 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $24,673,158 ($729 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 northeast 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 Marion County has 8, do the same, and of Marion County's 33,844 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 Marion County, IA at ISP Reports.

Marion 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 Marion County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
1.230
Robbery
0.1783
Rape
0.7307
Murder
0.0209
Total Violent Crime
2.160 (A)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
7.812
Vehicle Theft
0.4669
Burglary
1.264
Arson
0.1003
Total Property Crime
9.643 (A)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.0583
Drug Crimes
3.820
Vandalism
3.389
Identity Theft
0.2959
Animal Cruelty
0.0693
Total "Other" Rate
7.632 (B+)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

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

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

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Marion County is lower 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
D+
C
C
B
B-
B-
B-
C+
C+
C-
D+
D+
B+
B
B
B
C+
C+
A
A
A
C+
C+
C+
B-
A
A
D+
B
B

Considering only the crime rate, Marion County 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 Marion County, IA average SchoolGrade of A, with 65% actual proficiency versus 61% projected; overall, schools exceed expectations. See Marion 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 13 hours 19 minutes in Marion County. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in Marion 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.