Merle Hay, IA Crime Rates: Stats & Map

Get 300+ Local Insights for Any Address in Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA

Get Access to 300+ Local Data Points

C-

118%

Total crime NAT. AVG.

63%

Violent crime NAT. AVG.

129%

Property crime NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects the 2024 calendar year and was released from the FBI in September, 2025; this is the most current data available.

Merle Hay crime rates are not available from the FBI's UCR (uniform crime reporting) program, as a result, estimates are displayed in the table above. The crime reporting program from the FBI does cover more than 98% of the larger metropolitan areas, which represents more than 309 million U.S. residents. This data is gathered from more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies which include tribal, state, county, college, university and city levels. However, the FBI does not report crime on a neighborhood level, therefore estimates were used to calculate the Merle Hay crime data. These estimates take into account the overall Des Moines crime rates (violent and property), as well as multiple other factors which include: poverty rates, unemployment rates, income, educational achievement, home prices, rent prices and population density. To view crime rates on a block group level, the Merle Hay crime map below provides a hyper-local overview of all crimes reported throughout Des Moines.
Statistic	Reported_incidents	Merle Hay_{/100k people}	Des Moines_{/100k people}	Iowa_{/100k people}	National_{/100k people}
Total crime	8,013	4,612 (estimate)	3,829	1,540	2,119
Murder	9	n/a	4.3	2.1	5.0
Rape	107	n/a	51.1	35.2	37.5
Robbery	157	n/a	75.0	18.7	60.6
Assault	1,198	n/a	572.5	187.2	256.1
Violent crime	1,471	587 (estimate)	703	243	359
Burglary	968	n/a	462.6	199.1	229.2
Theft	4,482	n/a	2,142.0	962.6	1,272.1
Vehicle theft	1,092	n/a	521.9	135.1	258.8
Property crime	6,542	4,025 (estimate)	3,126	1,297	1,760

Merle Hay crime map

The Merle Hay crime map by CrimeoMeter provides a detailed overview of all crimes in Merle Hay as reported by the local law enforcement agencies. Based on the color coded legend above, the crime map outlines the areas with lower crime compared to the areas with higher crime. The Merle Hay crime heat map offers insight into the total crimes on a block group level. Please note that the red areas on the Merle Hay crime map does not always indicate that it is a dangerous area for its residents. Areas on the heat map could be inflated if they are located in high traffic areas like airports, sports centers or large parks. Other areas on the heat map could see increased crime rates if they are located in major tourist areas like the downtown core.

Get Crime Data Within A 1-Mile Radius!

View detailed crime data near your address
Use local crime insights to avoid risky areas
Get hyperlocal crime stats, not city averages

GET REPORT →

* Crime data not available for every address.

Compare Des Moines, IA Crime

Compare Neighborhoods & Addresses

Why stop at city-to-city? With Local Insights, you can compare neighborhoods, zip codes, or even exact addresses. Access 300+ hyperlocal data points—from schools and crime to housing and amenities—to see which area is the better fit.

UNLOCK FULL COMPARISON →

Crime Quick Facts

Merle Hay crime rates are 118% higher than the national average
Violent crimes in Merle Hay are 63% higher than the national average
In Merle Hay you have a 1 in 22 chance of becoming a victim of crime
Merle Hay is safer than 66% of the cities in Iowa
Year over year crime in Des Moines has decreased by 6%

Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA Crime Quiz

Safest Places to Live in and Around Merle Hay

See all the best places to live around Merle Hay

Write a review to give others more information about this area.

See all Merle Hay poll results

The best places in Iowa

Here are the best places to live in Iowa

Safest Cities In The US

Safest States In The US

Check out the 10 safest cities in Iowa

Daily Crime In Merle Hay (per 100,000 people)

How Safe is Merle Hay (higher is better)

Chance of Being A Victim of Crime in Merle Hay

The chance of being a victim of violent crime in Merle Hay is 1 in 171

The chance of being a victim of property crime in Merle Hay is 1 in 25

The chance of being a victim of crime in Merle Hay is 1 in 22

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

Des Moines police department

Item	Merle Hay	Des Moines	Iowa
Law enforcement employees (officers & civilians)	n/a	500	3,827
Police officers & civilians /1000 residents	n/a	n/a	1.8

Sex offenders in Iowa

State	Total offenders	Iowa_/100K	National_/100K
Iowa	6,040	205	266

There are a total of 6,040 sex offenders in Iowa. This yields a total of 205 sex offenders in Iowa per 100,000 residents which is 23% less than the national average.

Nearby Cities With Low Crime Rates

City	Population	Violent crime_{/100k people}	Property crime_{/100k people}	Total crime_{/100k people}
Van Meter, IA	1,386	55	55	110
Granger, IA	1,890	34	182	216
Norwalk, IA	11,467	109	180	289
Polk City, IA	4,797	31	290	320
Saylorville, IA	2,743	64	340	403
Dallas Center, IA	1,710	66	352	418
Cumming, IA	536	98	524	622
Des Moines, IA	215,408	703	3,126	3,829

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Violent crime_{/100k people}	Property crime_{/100k people}	Total crime_{/100k people}
Tacoma, WA	215,766	1,063	5,604	6,667
Enterprise, NV	214,591	261	1,428	1,689
Modesto, CA	214,485	656	2,415	3,070
San Bernardino, CA	216,784	897	2,898	3,795
Fontana, CA	212,704	270	1,216	1,487
Des Moines, IA	215,408	703	3,126	3,829

Source: The Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA crime data displayed above is derived from the FBI's uniform crime reports for the year of 2024. 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.

Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA Crime Rates