Iowa’s Safest Cities of 2024

See crime rates for the safest cities.

Iowa’s crime rates remain lower than national and regional averages for the fifth year in a row, and both property and violent crime rates decreased year over year. Iowans are generally less concerned about crime than other Americans but the number of Iowa respondents to our State of Safety survey who feel safe in their state dropped compared to the previous reporting year—from 55% to 52%.

Still, Iowa respondents to our State of Safety Survey reported being less concerned about crime and safety overall (34%) than they were last year (48%).

Violent crime and property crime rates in The Hawkeye State are lower than the national averages. Iowa has the twelfth-lowest violent crime rate and seventh-lowest property crime rate in the US. And if you live in one of Iowa's safest cities, you enjoy crime rates that are even lower.

Property crime concern has decreased by 12% in Iowa year over year. Data from our latest State of Safety survey shows the opposite trend, with Iowans reporting a 7% increase in property crime experiences (29%, up from 27% last year) during the 12 months prior to the survey.

• Iowa's property crime rate dropped from 15.7 incidents per 1,000 people in last year's report to 13.8—placing the state 33% below the national property crime rate of 20.7.
• Property crime makes up a smaller proportion of all crime in The Hawkeye State (82%) than it does nationwide (84%).
• Burglaries are more prevalent in Iowa (16% of all property crimes) than in the rest of the US (13%)—but within the safest cities, burglaries occur 24% less often.
• Property crime is the third-most concerning crime issue for Iowa survey respondents, with 43% reporting high concern.
• Of the Iowans who reported using some sort of property protection (73%), most prefer security cameras (35%) followed by guard dogs (30%) and firearms (28%).
• 28% of Iowans said they added or increased security or safety measures in the 12 months prior to the survey (35% US).

• Package theft is the second-most concerning crime among Iowa residents, and they worry about it at the seventh-lowest percentage in the nation at 44% (US 53%).
• 29% of Iowans claim to have experienced package theft in the last 12 months (US 35%), which represents a 3% decrease year over year.
• 30% of Iowans told us they "don't do anything" when asked about their package theft prevention strategies. Installing a video doorbell was the second-most popular answer at 25%.

Violent crime in The Hawkeye State decreased by 3% year over year, and 33% of Iowa residents reported feeling concerned about violent crime on our latest State of Safety survey—a 28% drop compared to last year's report.

A lower-than-average percentage of Iowans reported having experienced violent crime in the 12 months prior to the survey: 7% (US 15%). That's a 30% decrease compared to the previous survey’s results.

• Iowa’s violent crime rate of 2.9 is the twelfth-lowest in the nation.
• Despite low per capita violent crime, the state sees a higher proportion of violent crime overall—it makes up 18% of all crime in Iowa, compared to 16% nationwide.
• Iowa's prevalence of  robberies is lower than the rest of the US: 14% versus 16%.
• 35% of Iowans use some form of personal protection (US 36%).
• Of the Iowans who use personal protection, most preferred pocket knives (49%) followed by concealed firearms (43%) and pepper spray (34%).

• Gun violence is the most worrisome crime issue in Iowa, with 45% of respondents saying they're highly concerned (US 51%).
• 7% said they experienced gun violence in the 12 months prior to our survey (12% US).
• Iowans' gun violence experience decreased 36% year over year.
• The number of mass shooting events in Iowa decreased year over year (from 2 to 1).

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 52 Iowa cities met the criteria for ranking this year, and Norwalk, the top city, made it to the top 20 for the first time.
• Sioux Center fell to second place after placing first for the previous three years.
• Spencer climbed five spots to land in seventh place this year. 
• The collective violent crime rate among the safest cities is 1.0 incidents per 1,000 people—66% below the state's rate.
• North Liberty, Johnston, and Urbandale all rose in the rankings year over year.
• Sioux Center was the only city that reported zero burglaries.
• Decorah was the only city to report zero car thefts.

• Best Home Security Systems
• Best Home Security Cameras
• Best Video Doorbell Cameras
• Burglary Stats & Facts
• Over 50% Of All Burglaries Are Residential—How To Protect Your Family
• The Best Personal Safety Devices for Every Situation

Find all endnotes and sources in our full methodology.

FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed March 18, 2024.

• 2022 and 2021 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
  • Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
• 2022 NIBRS Estimation Tables

Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed March 18, 2024.

Gun Violence Archive, "Mass Shootings." Accessed March 18, 2023.