Most Dangerous Cities in Iowa 2024

According to NIBRS, Violent crime in the United States is most likely to be committed in urban areas, Violent crime field is made up of rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and murder. Des Moines being most populous city in Iowa registered 4,788 number of Violent cases other high crime rate cities include Ottumwa, Sioux City, Dubuque, Davenport, Fort Dodge, Storm Lake, Maquoketa, Washington and Newton. To determine the most dangerous cities in Iowa in 2024, we have reviewed the number of violent crimes reported in 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019 per 1,000 residents, with data from the Uniform Crime Reporting Program.

Rank	Cities	Population	Violent Crimes	Violent Crimes	Violent Crimes	Change	Crime Rate
		2021	2019	2020	2021	2020 - 2021	per 1000 persons
1	Ottumwa	24,308	134	520	646	126	26.58
2	Sioux City	82,750	366	1,681	2,180	499	26.34
3	Dubuque	57,790	110	1,375	1,435	60	24.83
4	Davenport	102,014	609	2,306	2,360	54	23.13
5	Des Moines	213,060	1,555	5,235	4,788	-447	22.47
6	Fort Dodge	23,788	101	550	531	-19	22.32
7	Storm Lake	10,414	41	194	229	35	21.99
8	Maquoketa	5,894	15	128	129	1	21.89
9	Washington	7,201	48	97	155	58	21.52
10	Newton	15,116	-	237	287	50	18.99
11	Waterloo	67,174	306	1,180	1,251	71	18.62
12	Clinton	24,865	77	452	460	8	18.50
13	Fort Madison	10,185	69	149	187	38	18.36
14	Grinnell	9,084	39	221	162	-59	17.83
15	Burlington	24,417	-	401	435	34	17.82
16	Red Oak	5,229	33	71	93	22	17.79
17	Clear Lake	7,492	31	91	129	38	17.22
18	Indianola	16,203	115	252	266	14	16.42
19	Cedar Rapids	134,763	345	1,624	2,210	586	16.40
20	Iowa City	77,522	167	831	1,232	401	15.89
21	Muscatine	23,499	47	351	366	15	15.58
22	Clarinda	5,346	24	67	81	14	15.15
23	Spirit Lake	5,292	30	79	77	-2	14.55
24	Marshalltown	26,651	105	373	380	7	14.26
25	Le Mars	10,233	24	120	145	25	14.17
26	Council Bluffs	62,202	493	1,017	876	-141	14.08
27	Estherville	5,516	9	54	76	22	13.78
28	Keokuk	10,025	-	140	133	-7	13.27
29	Creston	7,644	26	92	100	8	13.08
30	Mason City	26,550	176	290	344	54	12.96
31	Oskaloosa	11,832	54	142	148	6	12.51
32	Pleasant Hill	10,153	-	88	126	38	12.41
33	Adel	5,845	11	85	65	-20	11.12
34	Denison	8,241	19	70	87	17	10.56
35	Glenwood	5,260	26	43	54	11	10.27
36	Oelwein	5,731	18	46	58	12	10.12
37	Webster City	7,608	32	-	75	-	9.86
38	DeWitt	5,212	8	40	51	11	9.79
39	Charles City	7,174	8	58	70	12	9.76
40	Hiawatha	7,512	28	66	72	6	9.58
41	Osceola	5,320	24	47	50	3	9.40
42	Centerville	5,394	13	52	50	-2	9.27
43	Waverly	10,340	44	87	93	6	8.99
44	Independence	6,227	22	39	56	17	8.99
45	Mount Pleasant	8,494	12	94	76	-18	8.95
46	Ankeny	73,109	-	648	637	-11	8.71
47	Coralville	22,874	69	0	198	198	8.66
48	Johnston	23,759	29	240	195	-45	8.21
49	Altoona	20,064	-	152	164	12	8.17
50	Marion	41,370	68	304	315	11	7.61
51	Atlantic	6,457	22	63	49	-14	7.59
52	Sheldon	5,058	-	60	38	-22	7.51
53	West Des Moines	70,414	-	382	518	136	7.36
54	Carroll	9,651	9	61	67	6	6.94
55	Spencer	10,966	7	95	76	-19	6.93
56	Pella	10,260	10	72	71	-1	6.92
57	Ames	67,886	135	488	445	-43	6.56
58	Algona	5,340	21	27	35	8	6.55
59	Polk City	5,350	1	23	35	12	6.54
60	Mount Vernon-Lisbon	6,794	-	-	43	-	6.33
61	Fairfield	10,608	-	47	59	12	5.56
62	Clive	17,652	7	100	96	-4	5.44
63	Bettendorf	37,022	46	147	185	38	5.00
64	Cedar Falls	40,321	-	-	201	-	4.98
65	Waukee	27,858	15	105	134	29	4.81
66	Urbandale	45,201	28	176	215	39	4.76
67	North Liberty	20,482	70	106	94	-12	4.59
68	Sioux Center	7,729	3	10	26	16	3.36
69	Eldridge	6,998	2	22	23	1	3.29
70	Decorah	7,422	9	4	16	12	2.16
71	Asbury	5,999	-	26	10	-16	1.67

Top 10 most dangerous cities in Iowa

The top ten in most dangerous cities in Iowa in 2023 are Ottumwa, Sioux City, Dubuque, Davenport, Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Storm Lake, Maquoketa, Washington and Newton city. In any city Crime will not be everywhere, Most of the Crime is often concentrated in some of the neighbourhoods, we listed few cities to take extra care when you plan to move to the city and the area.

Ottumwa population is 24,308. There are 646 crime cases in 2021, It is the most dangerous cities in Oklahoma by 2023, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 26.58 per 1000 residents in 2021. Ottumwa recorded 3 Homicides, 3 Kidnapping, 64 sex offenses, 44 Rape cases, and in the crime against property there were 3 Arson, 86 Motor vehicle theft, 11 Robbery, 503 Drug/Narcotic offenses.

Sioux City population is 82,750. There are 2,180 crime cases in 2021, It is the second most dangerous cities in Oklahoma by 2023, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 26.34 per 1000 residents in 2021. Sioux City recorded 2 Homicides, 23 Kidnapping, 151 sex offenses, 71 Rape cases, and in the crime against property there were 25 Arson, 235 Motor vehicle theft, 52 Robbery, 924 Drug/Narcotic offenses.

Dubuque population is 57,790. There are 1,435 crime cases in 2021, It is the third most dangerous cities in Oklahoma by 2023, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 24.83 per 1000 residents in 2021. Dubuque recorded 4 Homicides, 16 Kidnapping, 93 sex offenses, 38 Rape cases, and in the crime against property there were 17 Arson, 97 Motor vehicle theft, 22 Robbery, 580 Drug/Narcotic offenses.

Davenport population is 102,014. There are 2,360 crime cases in 2021, It is the fourth most dangerous cities in Oklahoma by 2023, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 23.13 per 1000 residents in 2021. Davenport recorded 17 Homicides, 17 Kidnapping, 134 sex offenses, 61 Rape cases, and in the crime against property there were 24 Arson, 460 Motor vehicle theft, 98 Robbery, 1,229 Drug/Narcotic offenses.

Des Moines population is 213,060. There are 4,788 crime cases in 2021, It is the fifth most dangerous cities in Oklahoma by 2023, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 22.47 per 1000 residents in 2021. Des Moines recorded 5 Homicides, 11 Kidnapping, 158 sex offenses, 79 Rape cases, and in the crime against property there were 27 Arson, 1,460 Motor vehicle theft, 165 Robbery, 943 Drug/Narcotic offenses.

Fort Dodge population is 23,788. There are 531 crime cases in 2021, It is the sixth most dangerous cities in Oklahoma by 2023, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 22.32 per 1000 residents in 2021. Fort Dodge recorded 0 Homicides, 6 Kidnapping, 31 sex offenses, 20 Rape cases, and in the crime against property there were 5 Arson, 65 Motor vehicle theft, 10 Robbery, 169 Drug/Narcotic offenses.

Storm Lake population is 10,414. There are 229 crime cases in 2021, It is the seventh most dangerous cities in Oklahoma by 2023, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 21.99 per 1000 residents in 2021. Storm Lake recorded 0 Homicides, 1 Kidnapping, 14 sex offenses, 2 Rape cases, and in the crime against property there were 2 Arson, 12 Motor vehicle theft, 1 Robbery, 162 Drug/Narcotic offenses.

Maquoketa population is 5,894. There are 129 crime cases in 2021, It is the eighth most dangerous cities in Oklahoma by 2023, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 21.89 per 1000 residents in 2021. Maquoketa recorded 0 Homicides, 0 Kidnapping, 9 sex offenses, 8 Rape cases, and in the crime against property there were 2 Arson, 14 Motor vehicle theft, 1 Robbery, 87 Drug/Narcotic offenses.

Washington population is 7,201. There are 155 crime cases in 2021, It is the ninth most dangerous cities in Oklahoma by 2023, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 21.52 per 1000 residents in 2021. Washington recorded 1 Homicides, 0 Kidnapping, 17 sex offenses, 6 Rape cases, and in the crime against property there were 1 Arson, 14 Motor vehicle theft, 0 Robbery, 91 Drug/Narcotic offenses.

Newton population is 15,116. There are 287 crime cases in 2021, It is the tenth most dangerous cities in Oklahoma by 2023, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 18.99 per 1000 residents in 2021.

Waterloo population is 67,174. There are 1,251 crime cases in 2021, It is the eleventh most dangerous cities in Oklahoma by 2023, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 18.62 per 1000 residents in 2021. Waterloo recorded 5 Homicides, 12 Kidnapping, 49 sex offenses, 24 Rape cases, and in the crime against property there were 13 Arson, 225 Motor vehicle theft, 51 Robbery, 838 Drug/Narcotic offenses.

Clinton population is 24,865. There are 460 crime cases in 2021, It is the twelfth most dangerous cities in Oklahoma by 2023, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 18.50 per 1000 residents in 2021. Clinton recorded 1 Homicides, 2 Kidnapping, 30 sex offenses, 15 Rape cases, and in the crime against property there were 8 Arson, 76 Motor vehicle theft, 11 Robbery, 345 Drug/Narcotic offenses.

Fort Madison population is 10,185. There are 187 crime cases in 2021, It is the thirteenth most dangerous cities in Oklahoma by 2023, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 18.36 per 1000 residents in 2021. Fort Madison recorded 2 Homicides, 0 Kidnapping, 16 sex offenses, 14 Rape cases, and in the crime against property there were 4 Arson, 20 Motor vehicle theft, 3 Robbery, 82 Drug/Narcotic offenses.

Grinnell population is 9,084. There are 162 crime cases in 2021, It is the fourteenth most dangerous cities in Oklahoma by 2023, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 17.83 per 1000 residents in 2021.

Burlington population is 24,417. There are 435 crime cases in 2021, It is the fifteenth most dangerous cities in Oklahoma by 2023, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 17.82 per 1000 residents in 2021. Burlington recorded 0 Homicides, 1 Kidnapping, 42 sex offenses, 17 Rape cases, and in the crime against property there were 5 Arson, 94 Motor vehicle theft, 7 Robbery, 176 Drug/Narcotic offenses.

Red Oak population is 5,229. There are 93 crime cases in 2021, It is the sixteenth most dangerous cities in Oklahoma by 2023, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 17.79 per 1000 residents in 2021.

Clear Lake population is 7,492. There are 129 crime cases in 2021, It is the seventeenth most dangerous cities in Oklahoma by 2023, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 17.22 per 1000 residents in 2021. Clear Lake recorded 0 Homicides, 1 Kidnapping, 5 sex offenses, 5 Rape cases, and in the crime against property there were 1 Arson, 26 Motor vehicle theft, 0 Robbery, 124 Drug/Narcotic offenses.

Cedar Rapids population is 134,763. There are 2,210 crime cases in 2021, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 16.40 per 1000 residents in 2021. Cedar Rapids recorded 12 Homicides, 27 Kidnapping, 21 sex offenses, 5 Rape cases, and in the crime against property there were 25 Arson, 431 Motor vehicle theft, 64 Robbery, 966 Drug/Narcotic offenses.

Spirit Lake population is 5,292. There are 77 crime cases in 2021, Violent crime occur at the rate of about 14.55 per 1000 residents in 2021. Spirit Lake recorded 0 Homicides, 0 Kidnapping, 2 sex offenses, 2 Rape cases, and in the crime against property there were 1 Arson, 13 Motor vehicle theft, 0 Robbery, 63 Drug/Narcotic offenses.

Iowa Offenses(Crime/Property/Social) in 2021

Below are the Iowa Offenses in 2021, detailed by Violent and Property Crimes, Violent cases include Assault, Homicides, Sex Offences, Rape, Arson, Motor Vehicle Theft, Robbery, Drug and Narcotic cases. Property Crimes in Iowa include Burglary, Breaking, Property Vandalism, Arson, Motor Vehicle Theft and other offenses.

Rank (Total Offenses)	Cities	Population (2021)	Violent Crime	Property Crimes	Total Offenses	Assault	Homicide	Kidnappings	Sex Offenses	Rape	Arson	Motor Vehicle Theft	Robbery	Drug/Narcotic	Total Offenses per 1000
1	Davenport	102,014	2,360	6,630	10,591	2,192	17	17	134	61	24	460	98	1,229	103.82
2	Ottumwa	24,308	646	1,284	2,496	576	3	3	64	44	3	86	11	503	102.68
3	Sioux City	82,750	2,180	4,457	7,672	2,004	2	23	151	71	25	235	52	924	92.71
4	Clinton	24,865	460	1,289	2,129	427	1	2	30	15	8	76	11	345	85.62
5	Clear Lake	7,492	129	357	621	123	0	1	5	5	1	26	0	124	82.89
6	Waterloo	67,174	1,251	3,102	5,433	1,185	5	12	49	24	13	225	51	838	80.88
7	Maquoketa	5,894	129	251	476	120	0	0	9	8	2	14	1	87	80.76
8	Burlington	24,417	435	1,296	1,940	392	0	1	42	17	5	94	7	176	79.45
9	Fort Dodge	23,788	531	1,070	1,808	494	0	6	31	20	5	65	10	169	76.00
10	Des Moines	213,060	4,788	9,926	15,898	4,611	5	11	158	79	27	1,460	165	943	74.62
11	Dubuque	57,790	1,435	2,127	4,235	1,321	4	16	93	38	17	97	22	580	73.28
12	Washington	7,201	155	271	525	137	1	0	17	6	1	14	0	91	72.91
13	Council Bluffs	62,202	876	2,947	4,506	834	0	7	35	18	15	358	28	638	72.44
14	Fort Madison	10,185	187	433	719	169	2	0	16	14	4	20	3	82	70.59
15	Mason City	26,550	344	1,347	1,829	323	4	2	15	13	8	64	10	135	68.89
16	Cedar Rapids	134,763	2,210	5,522	8,859	2,148	12	27	21	5	25	431	64	966	65.74
17	Storm Lake	10,414	229	269	677	214	0	1	14	2	2	12	1	162	65.01
18	Keokuk	10,025	133	361	622	123	0	0	10	10	3	35	3	119	62.04
19	Indianola	16,203	266	484	938	247	0	0	19	11	3	17	0	179	57.89
20	Osceola	5,320	50	183	305	47	0	0	3	2	4	7	1	70	57.33
21	Spirit Lake	5,292	77	156	298	75	0	0	2	2	1	13	0	63	56.31
22	Creston	7,644	100	180	428	86	0	0	14	4	1	19	1	140	55.99
23	Muscatine	23,499	366	716	1,306	333	0	3	30	19	3	23	3	189	55.58
24	Marshalltown	26,651	380	753	1,443	328	1	8	43	17	4	48	5	290	54.14
25	Red Oak	5,229	93	134	283	86	1	1	5	3	2	7	0	53	54.12
26	Oskaloosa	11,832	148	302	637	131	0	4	13	3	4	16	2	179	53.84
27	Grinnell	9,084	162	273	477	150	0	4	8	6	3	8	1	38	52.51
28	Adel	5,845	65	210	306	61	0	2	2	2	0	12	0	27	52.35
29	Newton	15,116	287	387	780	268	1	0	18	7	2	26	0	93	51.60
30	Iowa City	77,522	1,232	2,211	3,984	1,169	2	15	45	19	4	111	24	464	51.39
31	Clarinda	5,346	81	120	252	77	0	1	3	1	1	4	0	45	47.14
32	Altoona	20,064	164	617	945	154	0	0	6	0	1	28	6	146	47.10
33	Pleasant Hill	10,153	126	261	471	116	1	1	8	2	0	18	0	77	46.39
34	Centerville	5,394	50	154	241	46	0	0	4	1	1	16	0	35	44.68
35	Le Mars	10,233	145	210	450	137	0	0	8	3	5	8	0	84	43.98
36	West Des Moines	70,414	518	1,784	3,012	475	0	6	37	18	5	87	17	647	42.78
37	Glenwood	5,260	54	87	217	50	0	1	3	2	1	4	0	65	41.25
38	Oelwein	5,731	58	111	232	58	0	0	0	0	1	8	0	60	40.48
39	Bettendorf	37,022	185	881	1,445	158	0	2	25	11	2	65	3	358	39.03
40	Coralville	22,874	198	596	868	183	1	0	14	3	0	20	4	59	37.95
41	DeWitt	5,212	51	121	195	45	0	0	6	3	0	6	1	18	37.41
42	Clive	17,652	96	392	658	91	0	1	4	1	4	37	1	160	37.28
43	Marion	41,370	315	796	1,507	264	2	2	47	19	3	47	2	359	36.43
44	Atlantic	6,457	49	156	232	45	0	0	4	2	2	5	0	23	35.93
45	Webster City	7,608	75	123	273	65	0	0	10	4	1	7	3	66	35.88
46	Charles City	7,174	70	151	253	60	1	0	9	8	1	3	1	27	35.27
47	Estherville	5,516	76	59	192	71	0	0	5	4	0	6	0	56	34.81
48	Waverly	10,340	93	142	349	81	0	0	12	6	0	8	0	112	33.75
49	Cedar Falls	40,321	201	1,064	1,351	174	0	1	26	14	1	47	6	71	33.51
50	Sheldon	5,058	38	77	169	36	0	0	2	0	0	4	1	51	33.41
51	Spencer	10,966	76	196	363	66	0	0	10	2	0	6	1	88	33.10
52	Johnston	23,759	195	396	779	182	0	0	13	8	1	22	1	175	32.79
53	Carroll	9,651	67	192	312	62	0	0	5	0	1	5	0	48	32.33
54	Ames	67,886	445	1,472	2,068	353	4	2	85	46	5	73	8	135	30.46
55	Ankeny	73,109	637	1,165	2,216	585	0	4	48	19	5	69	2	364	30.31
56	Denison	8,241	87	130	247	78	0	0	9	2	1	10	0	28	29.97
57	Independence	6,227	56	79	186	48	0	0	8	4	0	2	0	47	29.87
58	Mount Pleasant	8,494	76	126	252	67	0	0	9	5	0	13	1	48	29.67
59	Urbandale	45,201	215	714	1,190	200	0	2	13	3	2	68	10	237	26.33
60	Pella	10,260	71	138	268	59	0	2	10	4	1	4	0	54	26.12
61	Fairfield	10,608	59	177	277	48	1	0	10	5	0	9	1	36	26.11
62	Hiawatha	7,512	72	76	165	64	0	0	8	1	0	14	0	10	21.96
63	Waukee	27,858	134	348	584	121	0	0	12	5	0	28	1	93	20.96
64	North Liberty	20,482	94	190	397	78	0	1	15	0	0	6	1	105	19.38
65	Eldridge	6,998	23	91	129	18	0	1	4	1	0	11	0	15	18.43
66	Mount Vernon-Lisbon	6,794	43	59	123	35	0	0	8	6	0	3	1	20	18.10
67	Algona	5,340	35	24	85	33	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	24	15.92
68	Asbury	5,999	10	57	78	10	0	0	0	0	1	5	0	10	13.00
69	Polk City	5,350	35	9	67	32	0	0	3	1	0	0	0	21	12.52
70	Decorah	7,422	16	40	67	16	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	11	9.03
71	Sioux Center	7,729	26	15	56	22	0	0	4	3	0	0	0	10	7.25

Crime data in Iowa State Universities

Rank (Total Offenses)	Universities	Population (2021)	Violent Crime	Property Crimes	Total Offenses	Assault	Kidnappings	Sex Offenses	Rape	Arson	Motor Vehicle Theft	Robbery	Drug/Narcotic	Total Offenses per 1000
1	University of Iowa	34,495	276	503	821	223	3	50	27	2	11	2	42	23.80
2	University of Northern Iowa	12,137	21	85	139	16	0	5	4	0	3	0	32	11.45
3	Iowa State University	35,319	26	243	404	12	0	14	10	0	7	0	127	11.44