Iowa’s Safest Cities of 2025

See crime rates for the safest cities.

Iowans are generally less concerned about crime than other Americans, and the number of Iowa respondents to our State of Safety survey who feel safe in their state jumped from 52% to 66% year over year.

Our survey suggests property crime and gun violence have decreased across the state, while violent crime and package theft have increased. However, Iowans' experience with crime falls well below national averages.

We didn't have enough data to accurately calculate statewide crime rates for our 2025 report, but our annual State of Safety survey provides interesting insights nonetheless. 

Iowans' overall concern about crime is on the rise, but they're not as worried about property crime or package theft as they are gun violence and other violent crimes. In fact, Iowans worry less than all other Americans when it comes to package theft. Iowans' first-hand experiences with crime are lower than national averages, which may help explain their lower levels of concern. 

About 66% of Iowans told us they feel safe in their state, which is the fourth-highest percentage in the nation. Only 45% think crime is increasing—the smallest percentage in the nation.

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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 third most concerning crime issue for Iowa survey respondents, with 38% reporting high concern.
• The percentage of Iowans who told us they worry about property crime on a daily basis dropped from 43% to 38% year over year.
• Iowans report the second-lowest level of concern about property crime. Only North Dakotans worry less. 
• 24% of Iowans told us they experienced a property crime in the 8 months prior to our survey, down from 29% the previous year (US 27%).
• Iowans prefer to protect their property with security cameras (38%), guard dogs (35%) and firearms (29%).
• 32% of Iowans said they added or increased security or safety measures in the 8 months prior to the survey, up from 28% the previous year (37% US).

• Package theft is the least concerning crime among Iowa residents, and they worry about it at the lowest percentage in the nation at 31% (US 52%).
• The percentage of Iowans who worry about package theft on a daily basis dropped from 44% to 31% year over year.
• 31% of Iowans claim to have experienced package theft in the 8 months prior to our survey (US 37%), which is the third lowest percentage nationwide.
• The percentage of Iowans who experienced a package theft increased by 2 percentage points year over year.

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

• 69% of Iowans worry about cyber crime, which matches the national average and makes it the crime issues Iowans are most concerned about. 
• 38% of Iowans said they experienced a cyber crime in the 8 months prior to our survey (US 33%).
• 42% use antivirus protection—the third highest percentage in the nation (US 34%).
• 16% use identity protection—the third highest percentage in the nation (US 11%).
• Iowans are among those least likely to use a VPN service (IA 10%, US 16%).

In general, Iowans worry less about the weather than other Americans, with one exception: high winds. 

• 61% of Iowans worry about strong winds—the sixth highest percentage in the nation (US 52%).
• Hurricanes (6%) and earthquakes (4%) worry Iowans the least.  
• 12% of Iowans said they had been evacuated due to a natural disaster in the 8 months prior to our survey (US 9%).

Iowans report the second lowest percentage of violent crime experiences across the US, and they feel less concerned about violent crime compared to the national average. However, Iowans were slightly more likely to have experienced violent crime in the 8 months prior to our survey compared to the previous year. 

• 8% of Iowans said they experienced a violent crime in the 8 months prior to our survey, up from 7% the previous year but lower than the national average of 14%.
• Only South Dakotans are less likely to have experienced a violent crime than Iowans (SD 6%), while Delaware, Nebraska, and Vermont also reported an incidence level of 8%.
• 46% of Iowans told us they worry about violent crime on a daily basis, which is the fifth lowest percentage nationwide (US 59%).
• The percentage of Iowans concerned about violent crime rose from 33% to 46% year over year.
• 24% of Iowans use some form of personal protection (US 35%).
• Iowans prefer to protect themselves with firearms (11%), pepper spray (10%), and pocket knives (8%).

• Gun violence is the most worrisome crime issue in Iowa, with 47% of respondents saying they're highly concerned, up from 45% the previous year (US 57%).
• 6% said they experienced gun violence in the 8 months prior to our survey, down from 7% the previous year (11% US).
• Iowans are among those least likely to have experienced gun violence in the US. 
• 1 mass shooting event occurred in Iowa in 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.

• 70 Iowa cities met the criteria for ranking this year.
• Sioux Center is back at the top of the list after falling to second place last year. This means Sioux Center has claimed the #1 spot in four of the last five reports.
• Iowa's 10 safest cities reported a total of two murders, both of which occurred in Norwalk.
• Sioux Center, Eldridge, and Decorah reported zero rapes.
• 8 of the safest cities reported zero robberies.
• North Liberty was this year's only safest city with a drop in property crime year over year.

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