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

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	C-
Property Crime Grade	D
Other Crime Grade	D+

Which crimes are included?

$233,430

Cost of Crime™ for Melrose, IA

In 2025, crime will cost $969 per household.

More cost data

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

The D overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Melrose's combined rate is higher than the norm. Melrose sits in the 22nd percentile, ahead of 22% of cities and behind 78%. The grade covers only Melrose's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Melrose is 36.34 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the northwest part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 16 in the south neighborhoods to 1 in 49 in the northwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the northeast parts of Melrose, IA report the most crime, about 4 cases per year. The west part reports the fewest, around 1 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Melrose, IA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Melrose for 2025 is $233,430, about $416 per resident and $969 per household. That equals 1.1% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 63.0%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 25.2%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.7%

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

Melrose, IA:	$416
Shenandoah, IA:	$542
Norwalk, IA:	$145
Iowa:	$326
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Melrose is $416 per year, which is $48 less than the national average and $91 more than Iowa's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Melrose:

In Shenandoah, IA, crime costs $542 per person, which is $125 more than in Melrose.
In Norwalk, IA, crime costs $145 per person, which is $271 less than in Melrose

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to Melrose	Cost per Melrose Resident
Murder	$37,719	$67
Rape/Sexual Assault	$27,154	$48
Robbery	$6,837	$12
Assault	$42,508	$76
Kidnapping	$3,308	$6
Vehicle Theft	$2,487	$4
Burglary	$13,858	$25
Theft	$53,657	$96
Arson	$1,719	$3
Vandalism	$18,455	$33
Animal Cruelty	$345	$1
Drug Crimes	$22,607	$40
Identity Theft	$2,777	$5
Total Cost of Crime	$233,430	$416

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Melrose, 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 Melrose totals $394,682 ($704 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $628,112 ($1,120 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 do the same, and of Melrose's 561 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 Melrose, IA at ISP Reports.

Melrose 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 Melrose residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	2.638
Robbery	0.3875
Rape	0.7983
Murder	0.0358
Total Violent Crime	3.860 (C-)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	18.47
Vehicle Theft	0.2863
Burglary	2.724
Arson	0.1269
Total Property Crime	21.60 (D)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.0972
Drug Crimes	5.448
Vandalism	4.605
Identity Theft	0.6394
Animal Cruelty	0.0831
Total "Other" Rate	10.87 (D+)

Individual Melrose Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

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

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Russell, IA	B-	B	B-
Georgetown, IA	D	D	D
Walnut City, IA	F	B-	F
Plano, IA	B-	B	C
Garfield, IA	A-	B+	B+
Weller, IA	C+	A-	C+
Promise City, IA	C+	B+	C+
Moravia, IA	C-	B	D+
Mystic, IA	A+	B+	A+
Rathbun, IA	F	B-	F

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Melrose is higher 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
Little Meadows, PA	A+	A	A
Santa, ID	C	B+	B+
San Ygnacio, TX	F	F	F
Salem, OK	C-	C-	C-
Salem Heights, IN	A-	A+	A+
Rousculp, OH	A-	A	A
Roane, TX	D-	F	F
Riverdale, SC	D-	F	F
Ludlow, IL	B	B	B
Logan, MT	B-	B-	B-

Considering only the crime rate, Melrose is less safe than the Iowa state average and less safe than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Melrose, IA average SchoolGrade of A, with 59% actual proficiency versus 56% projected; overall, schools exceed expectations. See Melrose 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 17 days 21 hours in Melrose. 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.