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

Crime per Capita in Plymouth County

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

 

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

B-

Overall Crime Grade™

A
C+
Other Crime Grade
B-

$7.95 million

Cost of Crime™ for Plymouth County, IA

In 2025, crime will cost $750 per household.

More cost data

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

The B- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where Plymouth County's combined rate is slightly lower than the norm. Plymouth County sits in the 59th percentile, ahead of 59% of counties and behind 41%. The grade covers only Plymouth County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in Plymouth County is 27.49 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the east part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 31 in the west areas to 1 in 56 in the east.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of Plymouth County, IA report the most crime, about 376 cases per year. The east part reports the fewest, around 13 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Plymouth County, IA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Plymouth County for 2025 is $7,952,899, about $301 per resident and $750 per household. That equals 0.7% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 64.4%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 23.8%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.8%

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

Plymouth County, IA: $301
Scott County, IA: $372
Dallas County, IA: $264
Iowa: $326
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Plymouth County is $301 per year, which is $163 less than the national average and $25 less than Iowa's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Plymouth County:
  • In Scott County, IA, crime costs $372 per person, which is $71 more than in Plymouth County.
  • In Dallas County, IA, crime costs $264 per person, which is $37 less than in Plymouth County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Plymouth County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to Plymouth County
Cost per Plymouth County Resident
Murder
$1.09 million
$41
Rape/Sexual Assault
$1.04 million
$39
Robbery
$238,338
$9
Assault
$802,726
$30
Kidnapping
$101,411
$4
Vehicle Theft
$585,199
$22
Burglary
$514,679
$19
Theft
$1.66 million
$63
Arson
$56,614
$2
Vandalism
$787,142
$30
Animal Cruelty
$11,478
$0
Drug Crimes
$797,472
$30
Identity Theft
$271,107
$10
Total Cost of Crime
$7,952,899
$301

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Plymouth 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 Plymouth County totals $12,536,938 ($474 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $20,489,837 ($775 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 central 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 Plymouth County has 10, do the same, and of Plymouth County's 26,436 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 Plymouth County, IA at ISP Reports.

Plymouth 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 Plymouth County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
1.057
Robbery
0.2866
Rape
0.6475
Murder
0.0219
Total Violent Crime
2.013 (A)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
12.12
Vehicle Theft
1.430
Burglary
2.147
Arson
0.0887
Total Property Crime
15.78 (C+)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.0633
Drug Crimes
4.078
Vandalism
4.168
Identity Theft
1.325
Animal Cruelty
0.0587
Total "Other" Rate
9.693 (B-)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

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

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

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Plymouth County is similar 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
A-
A-
A-
B-
B-
B-
A
B+
B+
D
D
D
B+
B
B
C+
B
B
D+
D
D
A+
A+
A+
C
C+
C+
A+
A
A

Considering only the crime rate, Plymouth County is as safe as 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 Plymouth County, IA average SchoolGrade of A+, with 66% actual proficiency versus 56% projected; overall, schools greatly exceed expectations. See Plymouth 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 12 hours 3 minutes in Plymouth County. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in Plymouth 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.