Highest Crime in Iowa

Top 86 cities ranked by highest crime

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All Countries · United States · Iowa

Highest Crime — Iowa

1 Keokuk 873.0 per 1K

2 Council Bluffs 789.7 per 1K

3 Des Moines 712.1 per 1K

4 Indianola 708.4 per 1K

5 Fort Madison 664.0 per 1K

6 Washington 656.2 per 1K

7 Mason City 652.4 per 1K

8 Burlington 628.8 per 1K

9 Red Oak 624.2 per 1K

10 Davenport 594.8 per 1K

11 Spirit Lake 588.6 per 1K

12 Ottumwa 547.2 per 1K

13 Glenwood 488.6 per 1K

14 Oskaloosa 473.1 per 1K

15 Osceola 459.4 per 1K

16 Waterloo 451.8 per 1K

17 Clarinda 448.4 per 1K

18 Sioux City 444.5 per 1K

19 Waverly 431.9 per 1K

20 Fort Dodge 421.3 per 1K

21 Grinnell 417.9 per 1K

22 Webster City 416.5 per 1K

23 Nevada 415.2 per 1K

24 Clear Lake 410.3 per 1K

25 Storm Lake 393.1 per 1K

26 Marshalltown 388.9 per 1K

27 Algona 388.0 per 1K

28 Hiawatha 376.3 per 1K

29 Newton 364.0 per 1K

30 Independence 361.5 per 1K

31 North Liberty 348.5 per 1K

32 Tiffin 345.1 per 1K

33 Atlantic 337.7 per 1K

34 Creston 334.0 per 1K

35 Coralville 313.1 per 1K

36 Clinton 308.2 per 1K

37 Oelwein 305.8 per 1K

38 Cherokee 290.5 per 1K

39 Boone 289.2 per 1K

40 Sheldon 276.2 per 1K

41 Perry 269.5 per 1K

42 Windsor Heights 265.5 per 1K

43 Cedar Rapids 257.5 per 1K

44 Maquoketa 251.2 per 1K

45 Asbury 248.2 per 1K

46 Le Mars 239.6 per 1K

47 Centerville 238.1 per 1K

48 Denison 225.8 per 1K

49 Iowa Falls 219.7 per 1K

50 Winterset 217.1 per 1K

51 Iowa City 215.8 per 1K

52 Adel 214.2 per 1K

53 Manchester 201.7 per 1K

54 Grimes 198.4 per 1K

55 Ames 197.8 per 1K

56 Muscatine 197.3 per 1K

57 Dubuque 189.7 per 1K

58 West Des Moines 186.0 per 1K

59 Sergeant Bluff 180.3 per 1K

60 Marion 167.4 per 1K

61 Knoxville 164.3 per 1K

62 Estherville 160.5 per 1K

63 DeWitt 155.3 per 1K

64 Mount Pleasant 137.2 per 1K

65 Johnston 127.7 per 1K

66 Anamosa 126.3 per 1K

67 Bettendorf 124.4 per 1K

68 Cedar Falls 122.3 per 1K

69 Decorah 119.5 per 1K

70 Altoona 119.3 per 1K

71 Bondurant 119.3 per 1K

72 Pleasant Hill 109.3 per 1K

73 Ankeny 109.2 per 1K

74 Charles City 109.1 per 1K

75 Pella 96.8 per 1K

76 Fairfield 95.2 per 1K

77 Carroll 92.1 per 1K

78 Spencer 63.6 per 1K

79 Urbandale 62.9 per 1K

80 Waukee 61.8 per 1K

81 Clive 40.5 per 1K

82 Sioux Center 39.0 per 1K

83 Norwalk 33.7 per 1K

84 Eldridge 28.7 per 1K

85 Polk City 20.0 per 1K

86 Orange City 16.1 per 1K

Cities with the highest crime rates in Iowa face public safety challenges that affect residents' quality of life and economic development. Keokuk has 873.0 violent crimes per 1,000 residents.

High crime rates are often linked to economic factors including poverty, unemployment, income inequality, and limited access to education and social services. Addressing crime effectively requires tackling these underlying root causes alongside traditional law enforcement approaches.

Many cities on this list are actively implementing comprehensive safety strategies including community policing, violence intervention programs, youth mentorship, and economic development initiatives aimed at reducing the conditions that contribute to criminal activity.

Did You Know?

1. The violent crime rate in Keokuk is 218.3x the national average.
2. Crime rates have been declining nationally for decades — even cities on this list have generally seen improvements over time.
3. Violent crime is heavily concentrated in specific neighborhoods — most areas within these cities are considerably safer than the citywide statistics suggest.

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