Violent crime
236 per 100,000 residents, per year
7,416 reported in the 12 months to Jun 2026
−2% vs. the previous 12 months
Data through June 2026, FBI Crime Data Explorer
Crime in Iowa
The violent crime rate in Iowa is 236 per 100,000 residents per year over the 12 months to June 2026, 26% below the U.S. rate of 318, and the 32nd-highest of the 50 states and D.C. Violent crime is down 2% from the previous 12 months, and up 2% since 2018.
The numbers
12 months to Jun 2026Property crime
1,109 per 100,000 residents, per year
34,816 reported in the 12 months to Jun 2026
−15% vs. the previous 12 months
All reported
1,345 per 100,000 residents, per year
42,232 reported in the 12 months to Jun 2026
Annual rates per 100,000 residents, counted the FBI’s way, the same as every city on this site.
What counts, and who reported
Violent crime is homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property crime is burglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson. The agencies that reported serve 97% of the state’s 3,238,387 residents, and rates are taken over the population they serve. How we count
Where Iowa sits among the states
violent, per 100k, per year236
Iowa has the 32nd-highest violent crime rate of the 50 states and D.C., and the 41st-highest property crime rate.
Maine 89U.S. 318Washington, D.C. 786
The ring is Iowa; the tick is the rate for the whole country.
Reported crime by type
12 months to Jun 2026- Homicide2.0 (U.S. 3.9)−49% vs. U.S.
- Rape36 (U.S. 35)+4% vs. U.S.
- Robbery16 (U.S. 46)−66% vs. U.S.
- Aggravated assault182 (U.S. 233)−22% vs. U.S.
- Property crimeBurglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson1,109 (U.S. 1,473)−25% vs. U.S.
See the table, with the change on the previous 12 months
| Offense | Reported | Per 100k | U.S. per 100k | vs. U.S. | vs. previous 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HomicideViolent | 62 | 2.0 | 3.9 | −49% | +5% |
| RapeViolent | 1,135 | 36 | 35 | +4% | −5% |
| RobberyViolent | 490 | 16 | 46 | −66% | −16% |
| Aggravated assaultViolent | 5,729 | 182 | 233 | −22% | −1% |
| Property crimeBurglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson | 34,816 | 1,109 | 1,473 | −25% | −15% |
The FBI publishes property crime for states as a single total, so it is not broken down here. Red means more than in the previous 12 months, green means fewer.
Homicides so far in 2026
Jan to Jun 20262026
35
+35% vs. the same months of 2025
2025
26
Same months, from January to June
| Month | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | 2 |
| Feb | 2 | 3 |
| Mar | 10 | 7 |
| Apr | 6 | 4 |
| May | 1 | 3 |
| Jun | 9 | 7 |
Who reported, and how final these are
Homicides reported to the FBI from January to June 2026, the latest month counted in full nationally. Agencies serving 96.9% of residents reported; late reports can still add a few to the most recent months.
Since 2018
per 100k, per yearViolent crime rate by year
Homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault per 100,000 residents
| Year | Violent crime rate in Iowa |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 233 |
| 2019 | 290 |
| 2020 | 314 |
| 2022 | 296 |
| 2023 | 280 |
| 2024 | 247 |
| 2025 | 238 |
Homicide rate by year
Homicides per 100,000 residents
| Year | Homicide rate in Iowa |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 1.5 |
| 2019 | 2.3 |
| 2020 | 3.7 |
| 2022 | 2.0 |
| 2023 | 2.5 |
| 2024 | 2.4 |
| 2025 | 1.7 |
Why there is no 2021
No figure for 2021: that year the FBI switched every agency to its new reporting system (NIBRS), and so many had not switched yet that national coverage fell too low for a rate. The dotted line only joins the years on either side.
Cities in Iowa
3 city pages, per 100k, per yearMonth by month
Violent crimes in each city’s latest 12 months against the 12 before. Each chart has its own scale: compare the two lines within a city.
Des Moines1,408 +4%
Cedar Rapids341 −7%
Davenport616 −4%
| # | City | Violent per 100k | Property per 100k | vs. Iowa | Residents | Data through |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Moines61st of 302 | 661 | 2,257 | +180% | 212,933 | Sep 2026 |
| 2 | Davenport75th of 302 | 611 | 2,726 | +159% | 100,761 | Sep 2026 |
| 3 | Cedar Rapids201st of 302 | 247 | 1,900 | +5% | 137,918 | Sep 2026 |
How to read this table
The line under each city is its place among the 302 cities and county areas on this site, highest rate first. City rates use the same FBI definitions as the state, so each one can be read against the Iowa figure directly. Each department reports on its own schedule, so the 12-month windows differ a little between rows.
Neighboring states
per 100k, per yearRank among the 50 states and D.C. by violent crime rate, 1 being the highest. Same FBI window for every state: the 12 months to June 2026.
Common questions
answered with the data aboveIs Iowa safe?
By reported violent crime, Iowa is well below the national level: 236 violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year over the 12 months to June 2026, against 318 for the U.S. It varies a lot from city to city: among the 3 Iowa cities on this site, Des Moines runs 661 and Cedar Rapids 247.
What is the violent crime rate in Iowa?
236 per 100,000 residents per year, counting homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault reported to the FBI over the 12 months to June 2026 (7,416 offenses). The property crime rate is 1,109 per 100,000.
Is crime in Iowa going up or down?
It is roughly flat: violent crime −2% and property crime −15% over the last 12 months compared with the 12 months before. Since 2018 the violent crime rate is up 2%.
Source and dates
FBI CDE- Source
- Federal Bureau of Investigation, via the FBI Crime Data Explorer: monthly offense counts and the population served by the agencies that reported
- Latest 12 months
- July 2025 to June 2026
- Reporting coverage
- Agencies serving 97% of residents
- History on this site
- 2018 to 2025 by year (no 2021), and month by month since January 2018
- Update schedule
- We refresh every morning and publish the most recent 12 months that agencies across the country have reported in full.
- Methodology
- How we count, and what the numbers leave out