Des Moines, IA Crime Rates & Crime Map

Reported Annual Crime In Des Moines

Statistic	Reported_incidents	_{/100k people}	Des Moines_{/100k people}	Iowa_{/100k people}	National_{/100k people}
Total crime	11,045	n/a (estimate)	5,083	2,419	2,745
Statistic	Reported_incidents	_{/100k people}	Des Moines_{/100k people}	Iowa_{/100k people}	National_{/100k people}
Murder	28	n/a	12.9	3.3	5.3
Rape	73	n/a	33.6	39.2	41.7
Robbery	364	n/a	167.5	39.8	98.0
Assault	991	n/a	456.1	211.0	248.9
Violent crime	1,456	n/a (estimate)	670	293	383
Burglary	2,388	n/a	1,099.1	479.3	430.4
Theft	5,941	n/a	2,734.3	1,468.6	1,694.4
Vehicle theft	1,260	n/a	579.9	177.4	237.4
Property crime	9,589	n/a (estimate)	4,413	2,125	2,362

A comprehensive overview of any and all yearly reported crimes in Des Moines, IA is shown in the table above. In order to provide more clarity, the total number of crimes is shown as well as the amount of crimes committed per 100,000 people. The crimes indicated in the table are separated into two different categories. These categories are property crimes and violent crimes. According to the table, the overall crime rate is 110% higher than the average of crimes committed in Iowa. It is also 85% higher than the national average. When it comes to violent crimes, Des Moines, IA shows a crime rate that is 128% higher than the Iowa average. The crime rate is also 75% higher than the national average. When it comes to property crimes, Des Moines, IA is shown to be 108% higher than the Iowa average and 87% higher than the national average.

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Des Moines crime map

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The Des Moines crime map provides a detailed overview of all crimes in Des Moines as reported by the local law enforcement agency. Based on the color coded legend above, the crime map outlines the areas with low crime compared to the areas with high crime. The Des Moines crime heat map offers insight into the total crimes on a block group level.

Did you know?

The overall crime rate in Des Moines is 85% higher than the national average.
For every 100,000 people, there are 13.93 daily crimes that occur in Des Moines.
Des Moines is safer than 8% of the cities in the United States.
In Des Moines you have a 1 in 20 chance of becoming a victim of any crime.
The number of total year over year crimes in Des Moines has increased by 8%.

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Compare Des Moines, IA Crime To Other Cities

Daily Crime In Des Moines (per 100,000 people)

The number of daily crimes per 100,000 residents in Des Moines, IA is demonstrated in the illustration above. So that direct comparisons can be made, the number of daily crimes for Iowa and on a national level are also posted. As you can see, the daily crimes for Des Moines, IA are 2.10 times more than the Iowa average and 1.85 times more than the national level. Daily violent Crimes in Des Moines, IA are 2.28 times more than than Iowa and 1.75 times more than the national mean. While daily property crimes in Des Moines, IA are 2.08 times more than than Iowa and 1.87 times more than the national average.

How Safe is Des Moines (higher is better)

Are people any safer living in the Des Moines, IA area in comparison to other Iowa communities and all other cities throughout the United States? The evidence provided by these graphs show Des Moines, IA being safer than 4% of cities in Iowa and 8% of cities across the United States as a whole. This is evident by tracking Iowa cities as well as all US cities over a one year period to contrast crime statistics as they relate to Des Moines, IA. In conclusion, Des Moines, IA now ranks below average in comparison to all United States cities.

Chance of Being A Victim of Crime in Des Moines

The chance of being a victim of violent crime in Des Moines is 1 in 150

The chance of being a victim of property crime in Des Moines is 1 in 23

The chance of being a victim of crime in Des Moines is 1 in 20

Wondering what the chances are that you fall victim to a crime in Des Moines, IA? The illustrations above show how likely you are to become a victim of violent crime, property crime or any crime. In Des Moines, IA you have a 1 in 150 chance of becoming a victim of violent crime. Violent crimes include murder, rape, robbery and assault. With regards to property crime, you have a 1 in 23 chance of becoming a victim. Property crimes include burglary, theft and vehicle theft. Overall, you have a 1 in 20 chance of becoming a victim of crime in Des Moines, IA.

Year Over Year Crime In Des Moines (per 100,000 people)

An analysis of year to year crime rates in Des Moines, IA is a useful indicator of whether the area is becoming a safer area to live or a more dangerous area. In the above graph, you can see that the year to year crime rates are shown for the total crime, property crime, and violent crime per 100,000 people. The amount of violent crime in Des Moines, IA has decreased by 6%, the amount of property crime in Des Moines, IA has increased by 10%, and the total amount of crime in Des Moines, IA has increased by 8% year to year.

Des Moines police department

Item	Des Moines	Iowa	National
Law enforcement employees (officers & civilians)	500	3,827	558,732
Police officers & civilians /1000 residents	n/a	1.8	3.3

Sex offenders in Iowa

State	Total offenders	Iowa_/100K	National_/100K
Iowa	5,765	196	222

There are a total of 5,765 sex offenders in Iowa. This yields a total of 196 sex offenders in Iowa per 100,000 residents which is 12% less than the national average.

Nearby Cities With Low Crime Rates

City, State	Population	Violent crime_{/100k people}	Property crime_{/100k people}	Total crime_{/100k people}
Polk City, IA	4,115	130	455	585
Granger, IA	1,461	75	542	617
Saylorville, IA	3,445	104	755	859
Norwalk, IA	9,944	83	828	910
Cumming, IA	415	118	859	977
Mitchellville, IA	2,271	133	963	1,096
Johnston, IA	19,491	147	1,109	1,256
Des Moines, IA	212,859	670	4,413	5,083

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Violent crime_{/100k people}	Property crime_{/100k people}	Total crime_{/100k people}
Birmingham, AL	212,424	878	4,953	5,831
Spokane, WA	212,078	627	7,231	7,858
San Bernardino, CA	214,581	1,291	3,868	5,159
Rochester, NY	210,291	897	3,804	4,701
Richmond, VA	216,773	332	2,866	3,198
Des Moines, IA	212,859	670	4,413	5,083

Source: The Des Moines, IA crime data displayed above is derived from the FBI's uniform crime reports for the year of 2016. The crime report encompasses more than 18,000 city and state law enforcement agencies reporting data on property and violent crimes. The uniform crime reports program represents approximately 309 million American residents, which results in 98% coverage of metropolitan statistical areas.