Safest Cities in Iowa 2026
Iowa has 2 cities in our database with a statewide violent crime rate of 389.1 per 100,000 residents. The safest city is Des Moines with a Safety Context Score of 79/100. All rates are per capita — never raw counts.
| # | City | Population | Violent/100K | Property/100K | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Moines | 214K | 208.2 | 1,405 | B (79) |
| 2 | Cedar Rapids | 138K | 670.5 | 1,497 | D (48) |
All rates per 100,000 residents. Source: FBI UCR 2023.
Crime statistics for Iowa cities are derived from FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data. All figures represent per-capita rates per 100,000 residents, not raw counts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on FBI crime data and our Safety Context Score, Des Moines is the safest city in Iowa with a score of 79/100 (Grade B), a violent crime rate of 208.2 per 100,000, and a property crime rate of 1,405 per 100,000.
Cities are ranked using our Safety Context Score (0-100), which weighs violent crime rate vs. national average (40%), property crime rate vs. national average (30%), and 5-year trend direction (30%). All rates are per 100,000 residents — never raw counts.
Crime in Iowa has increased 0.0% over the past 5 years based on FBI data.
Safety Context Score: violent crime vs. national average (40%), property crime vs. national average (30%), 5-year trend (30%). All rates per 100,000 residents.