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

Crime per Capita in Van Buren County

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

 

Van Buren 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
A
Other Crime Grade
C+

$2.27 million

Cost of Crime™ for Van Buren County, IA

In 2025, crime will cost $758 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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 Van Buren County's combined rate is lower than the norm. Van Buren County sits in the 76th percentile, ahead of 76% of counties and behind 24%. The grade covers only Van Buren County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in Van Buren County is 22.38 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the south part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 24 in the east areas to 1 in 91 in the south.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the east parts of Van Buren County, IA report the most crime, about 34 cases per year. The south part reports the fewest, around 3 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Van Buren County, IA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Van Buren County for 2025 is $2,271,401, about $303 per resident and $758 per household. That equals 0.9% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 61.5%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 25.4%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 13.1%

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

Van Buren County, IA: $303
Scott County, IA: $372
Dallas County, IA: $264
Iowa: $326
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Van Buren County is $303 per year, which is $161 less than the national average and $23 less than Iowa's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Van Buren County:
  • In Scott County, IA, crime costs $372 per person, which is $69 more than in Van Buren County.
  • In Dallas County, IA, crime costs $264 per person, which is $39 less than in Van Buren County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Van Buren County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to Van Buren County
Cost per Van Buren County Resident
Murder
$503,193
$67
Rape/Sexual Assault
$355,782
$47
Robbery
$56,982
$8
Assault
$254,359
$34
Kidnapping
$41,923
$6
Vehicle Theft
$35,672
$5
Burglary
$173,003
$23
Theft
$264,343
$35
Arson
$23,600
$3
Vandalism
$268,684
$36
Animal Cruelty
$4,148
$1
Drug Crimes
$226,914
$30
Identity Theft
$62,798
$8
Total Cost of Crime
$2,271,401
$303

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County totals $5,133,082 ($685 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $7,404,483 ($987 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 Van Buren County has 1, do the same, and of Van Buren County's 7,499 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 Van Buren County, IA at ISP Reports.

Van Buren 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 Van Buren County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
1.181
Robbery
0.2416
Rape
0.7825
Murder
0.0357
Total Violent Crime
2.241 (A)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
6.806
Vehicle Theft
0.3072
Burglary
2.544
Arson
0.1303
Total Property Crime
9.787 (A)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.0922
Drug Crimes
4.091
Vandalism
5.015
Identity Theft
1.082
Animal Cruelty
0.0748
Total "Other" Rate
10.35 (C+)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

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

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

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Van Buren 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+
D
D
D
C
C
D
D+
D+
D-
D
D
D
B
B
B-
A-
A-
D-
D-
D-
C
C
C
F
D-
D-
C+
F
F

Considering only the crime rate, Van Buren 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 Van Buren County, IA average SchoolGrade of A, with 62% actual proficiency versus 55% projected; overall, schools greatly exceed expectations. See Van Buren 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 2 days 4 hours in Van Buren County. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in Van Buren 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.