Black Hawk County, IA Violent Crime Rates and Maps

C+

Violent Crime Grade	C
Property Crime Grade	C-
Other Crime Grade	B

Which crimes are included?

$22.4 million

Cost of Crime™ for Black Hawk County, IA

In 2025, violent crime will cost $403 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Black Hawk County with the least violent crime and red marks the most, weighted by the type and severity of each offense. Violent crime concentrates where people gather after dark, near nightlife, bars, and transit, more than on residential streets. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read those hot spots.

The C grade reflects how often assault, robbery, rape, and murder occur in Black Hawk County against the average US county, where the rate is slightly higher than the norm. Black Hawk County sits in the 43rd percentile for violent-crime safety, ahead of 43% of counties and behind 57%. The grade covers only Black Hawk County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The violent crime rate in Black Hawk County is 4.002 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the northwest part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 131 in the east areas to 1 in 524 in the northwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of Black Hawk County, IA report the most violent crime, about 171 cases per year. The northeast part reports the fewest, around 9 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Black Hawk County, IA

The tangible cost of violent crime in Black Hawk County is projected at $22,395,215 for 2025, about $169 per resident and $403 per household. That equals 0.4% of the median household income, and it counts only the bills that can be totaled: emergency care, lost wages, and the justice response. The larger cost, the harm to victims, comes later on this page. These tangible costs split into:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 48.2%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 37.1%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 14.5%

How Much Does Violent Crime Cost in Black Hawk County Compared to Other Counties?

Black Hawk County, IA:	$169
Scott County, IA:	$169
Linn County, IA:	$139
Iowa:	$158
USA:	$258

The tangible cost of violent crime is $169 per resident each year in Black Hawk County, which is $90 less than the national average and $11 more than Iowa's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Black Hawk County:

In Scott County, IA, crime costs $169 per person, which is $1 more than in Black Hawk County.
In Linn County, IA, crime costs $139 per person, which is $30 less than in Black Hawk County

2025 Projected Violent Crime Cost by Type

The table below breaks the violent-crime total into its four offenses for Black Hawk County, with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to Black Hawk County	Cost per Black Hawk County Resident
Murder	$3.90 million	$29
Rape/Sexual Assault	$6.10 million	$46
Robbery	$983,390	$7
Assault	$11.4 million	$86
Total Cost of Violent Crime	$22,395,215	$169

The Human Cost of Violent Crime in Black Hawk County, IA

Much of what violent crime costs never reaches a bill. Pain, trauma, and lost quality of life for victims and their families typically outweigh the medical and legal totals above. Research-based methods put a figure on that harm so it can be compared across places. By those methods, the human cost of violent crime in Black Hawk County totals $58,571,164 ($441 per resident). Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $80,966,379 ($610 per resident). This human toll is what sets violent crime apart from property crime in Black Hawk County, IA, where the loss is mostly replaceable property. All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Violent Crime Maps

Violent crime rates are measured per resident, so places packed with visitors after dark read high even when few people live there. Bars, clubs, event venues, and transit hubs draw the crowds where assaults and robberies cluster. How strongly this shows on the map depends on the commercial base; the northwest part of the county has more retail establishments. A red block full of bars and venues does not mean the homes around it are dangerous.

Transit stations show the same effect: large moving crowds, few residents, so per-capita violent crime reads high. Before judging a residential street, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total count of incidents, and note what draws crowds nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a solid connection. Compare high speed internet in Black Hawk County, IA at ISP Reports.

Black Hawk County Violent Crime Breakdown

The table below shows which offenses feed the Violent Crime Grade above, each as crimes per 1,000 Black Hawk County residents in a standard year.

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	2.994
Robbery	0.2354
Rape	0.7572
Murder	0.0156
Total Violent Crime	4.002 (C)

Individual Black Hawk County Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

Compared to surrounding counties, the rate of violent crime in Black Hawk County is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for counties close to Black Hawk County.

Nearby County	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Bremer County, IA	A-	A	A-
Grundy County, IA	A	C	A+
Buchanan County, IA	A	B+	A+
Butler County, IA	A-	A	A-
Tama County, IA	B-	B-	C+
Benton County, IA	A-	A	A-
Fayette County, IA	B-	C	B+
Marshall County, IA	C-	B-	D+
Hardin County, IA	B-	B+	B-
Franklin County, IA	B+	B+	A

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Black Hawk County is higher versus other counties of the same size for violent 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
Brunswick County, NC	B-	B-	B-
Cochise County, AZ	B	C	C
Spotsylvania County, VA	A-	A	A
Humboldt County, CA	D+	F	F
Washington County, WI	A+	A+	A+
Randall County, TX	D+	C+	C+
Chautauqua County, NY	B-	D+	D+
Blair County, PA	A	B+	B+
Warren County, KY	B+	A	A
Bonneville County, ID	B-	B	B

Considering only the violent crime rate, Black Hawk County is less safe than the Iowa state average and as safe as the national average.

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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.