Iowa’s Safest Cities of 2026

See crime rates for the safest cities.

According to our latest State of Safety survey, Iowans are generally less concerned about crime than other Americans and more likely to feel safe in their state. Official Iowa crime rates show that crime is on the rise statewide, but our survey respondents have yet to experience this increase first-hand.

The violent crime rate in Iowa is 3.22 incidents per 1,000 people, which is lower than the national average of 4.43. We weren't able to report a statewide violent crime rate last year due to insufficient data, but in our 2024 report, Iowa reported a lower violent crime rate of 2.9.

Property crime in The Hawkeye State has also increased in recent years, jumping from 13.8 incidents per 1,000 people in 2024 to 19.27 incidents in this year's report. On the plus side, that's lower than the national property crime rate of 22.89. 

About 63% of Iowans told us they feel safe in their state, which represents a slight decrease from 66% the year before. That's a higher confidence level than the national average (52%) and is the 12th highest in the nation. For the second year in a row, Iowans are the least likely to believe that crime is increasing (41% IA, 54% US). 

Property crime concerns and experiences have decreased in Iowa year over year. The average Iowan is less concerned about property crime than the average American.

• Property crime is the least concerning crime issue for Iowa survey respondents, with 32% reporting high concern.
• The percentage of Iowans who told us they worry about property crime on a daily basis dropped from 38% to 32% year over year.
• Iowans report the third-lowest level of concern about property crime. Only residents of Maine and Wyoming worry less.
• 15% of Iowans told us they experienced a property crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, down from 24% the previous year (US 21%).
• Iowans prefer to protect their property with security cameras (42%), security systems (27%), and  guard dogs (26%).
• 15% of Iowans said they added or increased security or safety measures in the 12 months prior to the survey, which is the lowest percentage in the nation (US 32%). 

• The percentage of Iowans who worry about package theft on a daily basis increased from 31% to 34% year over year.
• 24% of Iowans claim to have experienced package theft in the 12 months prior to our survey (US 31%), which is the sixth lowest percentage nationwide.
• The percentage of Iowans who experienced a package theft fell by 7 points year over year.

For the first time, our State of Safety survey asked about cyber crime concerns, experiences, and protections. 

• 60% of Iowans worry about cyber crime, which is lower than the national average of 64%. It's the crime Iowans are most concerned about. 
• 24% of Iowans said they experienced a cyber crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, down from 38% the year before (US 27%).
• 41% say they use no cyber security protection at all, which is much higher than the national average of 27%. 

Last year, Iowans started to worry about natural disasters more than the average American. 

• 67% of Iowans worry about strong winds—the fourth highest percentage in the nation (US 53%).
• 62% worry about extreme temperatures (US 57%).
• 45% worry about flooding (US 40%).
• Hurricanes (13%) and earthquakes (14%) worry Iowans the least.  
• 4% of Iowans said they had been evacuated due to a natural disaster in the 12 months prior to our survey (US 9%).

Iowans report the third lowest percentage of violent crime experiences across the US, and they feel less concerned about violent crime compared to the national average. 

• 6% of Iowans said they experienced a violent crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, down from 8% the previous year and lower than the national average of 12%.
• Only Kansans, South Dakotans, and Arizonans are less likely to have experienced a violent crime than Iowans.
• 47% of Iowans told us they worry about violent crime on a daily basis, which represents a slight year over year increase from 46% (US 55%).
• 25% of Iowans use some form of personal protection.
• Iowans prefer to protect themselves with pepper spray (48%), firearms (48%), and pocket knives (32%).

• 48% of Iowa respondents say they're highly concerned about gun violence, up from 47% the previous year (US 55%).
• 5% said they experienced gun violence in the 12 months prior to our survey, down from 6% the previous year (9% US).
• Iowans are among those least likely to have experienced gun violence in the US. 
• 1 mass shooting event occurred in Iowa in 2025, which is the same number as 2024. 

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.

• 74 Iowa cities met the criteria for ranking this year.
• Sioux Center is the safest city in Iowa for the second year in a row. Sioux Center has claimed the #1 spot in five of the last six reports.
• The top two cities (Sioux Center and Orange City) are neighbors.
• All 10 cities reported a violent crime rate of 1.0 or less. 
• 5 cities saw year-over-year decreases in both property crime and violent crime: Eldridge, Polk City, Algona, Decorah, and Adel.
• Algona saw an 80% reduction in violent crime year over year, causing it to jump 25 spots to land at #6. 
• Iowa's safest cities include a mix of metro suburbs and small towns. 
• No murders were reported in Iowa's safest cities. 
• Asbury and Norwalk reported no motor vehicle thefts. 
• Algona and Norwalk reported no burglaries. 

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