Des Moines, IA Crime Rates & Statistics

Reported Annual Crime In Des Moines

Statistic	Reported_incidents	_{/100k people}	Des Moines_{/100k people}	Iowa_{/100k people}	National_{/100k people}
Total crime	10,378	n/a (estimate)	4,907	2,377	2,837
Statistic	Reported_incidents	_{/100k people}	Des Moines_{/100k people}	Iowa_{/100k people}	National_{/100k people}
Murder	13	n/a	6.1	2.3	5.3
Rape	140	n/a	66.2	39.8	40.4
Robbery	318	n/a	150.4	36.6	102.8
Assault	1,026	n/a	485.1	212.0	248.5
Violent crime	1,497	n/a (estimate)	708	291	386
Burglary	1,944	n/a	919.1	479.5	468.9
Theft	5,920	n/a	2,799.0	1,447.6	1,745.0
Vehicle theft	1,017	n/a	480.8	159.0	236.9
Property crime	8,881	n/a (estimate)	4,199	2,086	2,451

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 106% higher than the average of crimes committed in Iowa. It is also 73% higher than the national average. When it comes to violent crimes, Des Moines, IA shows a crime rate that is 144% higher than the Iowa average. The crime rate is also 83% higher than the national average. When it comes to property crimes, Des Moines, IA is shown to be 101% higher than the Iowa average and 71% higher than the national average.

Did you know?

The overall crime rate in Des Moines is 73% higher than the national average.
For every 100,000 people, there are 13.44 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 21 chance of becoming a victim of any crime.
The number of total year over year crimes in Des Moines has increased by 4%.

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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 2.06 times more than the Iowa average and 1.73 times more than the national level. Daily violent Crimes in Des Moines, IA are 2.44 times more than than Iowa and 1.83 times more than the national mean. While daily property crimes in Des Moines, IA are 2.01 times more than than Iowa and 1.71 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 3% 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 142

The chance of being a victim of property crime in Des Moines is 1 in 24

The chance of being a victim of crime in Des Moines is 1 in 21

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 142 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 24 chance of becoming a victim. Property crimes include burglary, theft and vehicle theft. Overall, you have a 1 in 21 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 1%, the amount of property crime in Des Moines, IA has increased by 5%, and the total amount of crime in Des Moines, IA has increased by 4% 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}
Clive, IA	17,022	146	420	566
Granger, IA	1,461	74	532	606
Saylorville, IA	3,445	103	741	845
Polk City, IA	4,115	104	748	853
Cumming, IA	415	118	843	960
Norwalk, IA	9,944	154	839	993
Mitchellville, IA	2,271	132	945	1,077
Des Moines, IA	212,859	708	4,199	4,907

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Violent crime_{/100k people}	Property crime_{/100k people}	Total crime_{/100k people}
Birmingham, AL	212,424	1,746	6,359	8,105
Spokane, WA	212,078	598	7,688	8,286
San Bernardino, CA	214,581	1,324	4,224	5,548
Rochester, NY	210,291	880	3,726	4,606
Richmond, VA	216,773	348	2,971	3,320
Des Moines, IA	212,859	708	4,199	4,907

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.