crimebycounty

Iowa Crime & Safety

Reported crime rates, safety scores, and FBI UCR coverage for all 99 counties.

FBI UCR data

Avg Violent Crime Rate

217.0

per 100K

Avg Property Crime Rate

879.0

per 100K

Counties with Crime Rates

99/99

100% coverage

County crime atlas

Iowa crime patterns by county

A state-level 2.5D view of reported county crime rates. Heights and color intensity are scaled within Iowa, with extreme outliers capped visually so the county-by-county pattern stays readable without loading the full national explorer.

Counties

99

Coverage

100%

Data year

2022

State crime brief

What stands out in Iowa

The average county-level total crime rate is 1095.0 per 100,000 residents, 53% below the national county benchmark.

Decatur County reports 0.0 total crimes per 100,000 residents, while Plymouth County reports 12396.1. That spread is why county-level lookup matters more than a single statewide average.

99 of 99 counties have full or partial FBI UCR coverage in the current build, with 275 reporting agencies represented.

Data coverage

99/99

counties with total crime rates

Reporting agencies

275

represented in the FBI UCR data

Primary year

2022

most common county crime data year

County average vs. national benchmark

Unweighted county averages, shown per 100,000 residents.

Total crime

53% below national benchmark.

1095.0

National 2335.1

Violent crime

43% below national benchmark.

217.0

National 380.7

Property crime

55% below national benchmark.

879.0

National 1954.4

Safety score distribution

Low reported crime47 counties

47% of counties. Safety score 70 or higher.

Middle range29 counties

29% of counties. Safety score from 40 to 69.

Elevated reported crime23 counties

23% of counties. Safety score below 40.

Pending score0 counties

0% of counties. Safety score unavailable.

Reporting coverage

Partial agency coverage99

100%. Some agencies reported, so rates can understate local conditions.

Lowest reported total crime

  1. Decatur County

    Rank #1 in this list

    0.0 per 100K

  2. Shelby County

    Rank #2 in this list

    0.0 per 100K

  3. Winnebago County

    Rank #3 in this list

    0.0 per 100K

  4. Woodbury County

    Rank #4 in this list

    107.0 per 100K

  5. Butler County

    Rank #5 in this list

    125.2 per 100K

Highest reported total crime

  1. Plymouth County

    Rank #1 in this list

    12396.1 per 100K

  2. Des Moines County

    Rank #2 in this list

    3809.5 per 100K

  3. Wapello County

    Rank #3 in this list

    3479.5 per 100K

  4. Clinton County

    Rank #4 in this list

    3086.8 per 100K

  5. Scott County

    Rank #5 in this list

    2906.2 per 100K

Highest reported violent crime

  1. Plymouth County

    Rank #1 in this list

    1920.3 per 100K

  2. Hardin County

    Rank #2 in this list

    782.9 per 100K

  3. Wapello County

    Rank #3 in this list

    600.7 per 100K

  4. Clinton County

    Rank #4 in this list

    593.7 per 100K

  5. Webster County

    Rank #5 in this list

    462.3 per 100K

All Iowa Counties

CountySafety Score
Decatur County98/100
Shelby County98/100
Winnebago County98/100
Woodbury County93/100
Butler County92/100
Davis County90/100
Calhoun County89/100
Kossuth County89/100
Adair County89/100
Adams County89/100
Grundy County88/100
Madison County88/100
Winneshiek County87/100
Clayton County86/100
Sioux County86/100
Taylor County86/100
Osceola County86/100
Chickasaw County86/100
Pocahontas County86/100
Worth County85/100
Ida County85/100
Howard County84/100
Franklin County84/100
Mitchell County83/100
Ringgold County83/100
Wright County83/100
Cherokee County83/100
Van Buren County82/100
Harrison County82/100
Tama County81/100
Wayne County81/100
Cedar County79/100
Jones County78/100
Louisa County78/100
Guthrie County78/100
Fayette County77/100
Hancock County76/100
Humboldt County75/100
Crawford County74/100
Greene County74/100
Benton County74/100
Emmet County73/100
Boone County72/100
Palo Alto County71/100
Buchanan County71/100
Lyon County71/100
Dickinson County71/100
Audubon County70/100
Marion County70/100
Monroe County68/100
Keokuk County67/100
Carroll County65/100
Allamakee County62/100
Floyd County62/100
Hamilton County62/100
Clay County62/100
Warren County62/100
Bremer County58/100
O'Brien County58/100
Iowa County58/100
Lucas County57/100
Monona County56/100
Delaware County56/100
Jasper County56/100
Montgomery County55/100
Sac County53/100
Mills County51/100
Buena Vista County51/100
Henry County51/100
Fremont County50/100
Jefferson County49/100
Page County44/100
Union County44/100
Jackson County43/100
Washington County41/100
Muscatine County41/100
Story County39/100
Mahaska County37/100
Clarke County34/100
Dubuque County33/100
Poweshiek County32/100
Appanoose County31/100
Polk County30/100
Marshall County30/100
Black Hawk County28/100
Cass County27/100
Johnson County25/100
Hardin County25/100
Lee County23/100
Cerro Gordo County14/100
Linn County14/100
Dallas County12/100
Pottawattamie County10/100
Webster County10/100
Scott County9/100
Clinton County7/100
Wapello County5/100
Des Moines County4/100
Plymouth County0/100

Crime rates per 100K population. — = data pending.

Crime data questions

How to read Iowa crime data

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Iowa county has the lowest reported crime rate?
Decatur County has the lowest reported total crime rate in the current Iowa county dataset at 0.0 incidents per 100,000 residents. Use this as a reported county-level benchmark, not a neighborhood-level guarantee.
Which Iowa county has the highest reported crime rate?
Plymouth County has the highest reported total crime rate in the current Iowa county dataset at 12396.1 incidents per 100,000 residents. Per-capita rates can be volatile in small counties, so compare the rate with coverage, agency count, and local law enforcement sources.
How does Iowa compare with the national crime benchmark?
Iowa's unweighted county-average total crime rate is 1095.0 per 100,000 residents, 53% below national benchmark. The national benchmark shown on this page is 2335.1 per 100,000 residents.
Is violent crime or property crime more common in Iowa?
Property crime makes up about 80% of the average reported county crime mix in Iowa, while violent crime makes up about 20%. These shares are based on county-level rates in the available FBI UCR dataset.
How complete is the FBI UCR data for Iowa?
99 of 99 Iowa counties have total crime rates in the current build. The page also lists coverage labels so readers can distinguish full, partial, homicide-only, unavailable, and unlabeled reporting.
Which Iowa county has the highest reported violent crime rate?
Plymouth County has the highest reported violent crime rate in the current Iowa county dataset at 1920.3 incidents per 100,000 residents. Violent crime can be highly localized, so use county comparisons as a starting point for local research.

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Data Sources

Crime data sourced from the FBI Crime Data Explorer (UCR) and County Health Rankings. Safety scores are derived composite metrics.

Data is informational only. Not legal or security advice. Coverage varies by county and reporting year.

← Back to All StatesSafest Counties in IowaHighest Reported Crime Counties in Iowa

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