The Midwest state of Iowa is famous for its vast expanses of farmland, most of which is dedicated to growing corn. In fact, Iowa produces more corn than any other state and also leads the nation in pork production. Although it's estimated that 85% of Iowa's land is devoted to agriculture, nearly two-thirds of the state's 3,155,070 residents live in urban areas. Economically, Iowa has shifted focus to include the areas of advanced manufacturing and processing, financial services, information technology, biotechnology, and green energy production. Significant metropolitan areas in Iowa include Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Waterloo, Dubuque, Sioux City, Iowa City and Des Moines. The cities that earn the distinction of being the safest in the Hawkeye State are listed below.
How We Determined the Safest Cities in Iowa
We narrowed down the safest cities in each state based on two primary categories: crime rates and financial safety. First, we evaluated each city’s crime rate using a number of public safety factors including the number of violent, property and hate crimes in each area to help determine the safest areas to live. We then evaluated the city’s financial safety using socioeconomic factors like household income, average rent and health insurance.
In addition to data on each of the cities, we also provided safety data for the state itself. We examined how each state ranks for natural disaster risks and public health ratings compared to all other states. You can find a detailed breakdown of our methodology and links to sources here.
Here are the public safety factors we counted for each city:
- Property crime - Number of property crimes reported in the city (FBI Crime Report)
- Violent crime - Number of violent crimes reported in the city (FBI Crime Report)
- Aggravated assaults - Number of aggravated assaults reported in the city (FBI Crime Report)
- Hate crime - Number of hate crimes reported in the city (FBI Hate Crime Report)
- Officer-related incidents - Number of officer-involved shootings reported in the city (Gun Violence Archive)
- Mass shootings - Incidents in which four or more people are shot/killed in the city (Gun Violence Archive)
Here are the financial safety factors we counted for each city:
- Unemployment rate - The average rate of unemployed residents in each city
- Cost of living - The average annual rent and household income per city
- Poverty rate - Percentage of families that reported experiencing poverty in the last 12 months
- Uninsured residents - Unemployed and employed residents that reported not having health insurance
- Access to internet - Residents that reported having access to the internet in their household
7 Safest Cities in Iowa
No. 1 Mount Vernon
Located to the southeast of Cedar Rapids, Mount Vernon is home to Cornell College. In fact, the college‘s student body makes up approximately one-fourth of the town‘s population, which is estimated to be 4,510 as of 2020. Relatively low rent, high household incomes and virtually nonexistent poverty and unemployment make Mount Vernon the most financially safe town in Iowa according to our data.
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Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Aggravated Assault Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 2.259376 (7th) 2.259376 (7th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 9096 (5th) 82656 (1st) 0.012 (7th) 0 (7th) 0.004 (7th) 0 (7th) No. 2 Le Mars
Le Mars was dubbed the “Ice Cream Capital of the World” in 1994 thanks to the Blue Bunny ice cream and dairy company‘s significance to the town. It has extremely low rates of both violent and property crime. Nearly 10,000 people call this northwestern Iowa town home.
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Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Aggravated Assault Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 1.001101 (5th) 1.001101 (5th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 7632 (7th) 60632 (4th) 0.028 (6th) 0.065 (4th) 0.027 (3rd) 0.11 (6th) No. 3 Pleasant Hill
Pleasant Hill 10,070 residents live just east of Des Moines in this middle-class suburb. Copper Creek Lake Park represents a notable destination in the northwest corner of Pleasant Hill, as is Yellow Banks Park in the southeast corner.
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Total Violent Crime Aggravated Assault Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 0.997009 (4th) 0.997009 (4th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 11748 (1st) 78406 (2nd) 0.031 (4th) 0.023 (6th) 0.034 (2nd) 0.358 (2nd) No. 4 Pella
Pella is situated near the eastern shores of Lake Red Rock in the center of the state, to the southeast of Des Moines. Pella is home to 10,369 residents, Central College and cultural attractions such as the Pella Historical Village, Scholte House Museum and Gardens and the Vermeer Museum and Global Pavillion.
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Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Aggravated Assault Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 0.979624 (3rd) 0.979624 (3rd) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 10896 (2nd) 64770 (3rd) 0.03 (5th) 0.049 (5th) 0.019 (4th) 0.203 (3rd) No. 5 Dubuque
With a population just shy of 58,000, Dubuque is nestled on the western banks of the Mississippi River and borders both Illinois and Wisconsin. Nature plays a significant role in Dubuque‘s claims to fame, as it‘s the home of the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, as well as the Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.
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Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Aggravated Assault Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 0.171344 (2nd) 0.171344 (2nd) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 9252 (4rd) 52298 (5th) 0.051 (3rd) 0.111 (2nd) 0.01 (5th) 0.188 (4th) No. 6 Grinnell
Grinnell represents the midpoint between the cities of Des Moines and Cedar Rapids along I-80. Notable places of interest in Grinnell include Grinnell College, the Grinnell Historical Museum and the Louis Sullivan “Jewel Box” Bank. Grinnell‘s population in 2020 was 9,382.
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Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Aggravated Assault Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 1.111111 (6th) 1.111111 (6th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 8592 (6th) 43608 (7th) 0.055 (2nd) 0.084 (3rd) 0.039 (1st) 0.471 (1st) No. 7 Des Moines
Centrally located within the state, Des Moines is known for being both Iowa‘s capital and most populous city. Despite a population of about 217,000 within the city and about 655,000 in the metropolitan area, Des Moines boasts a low hate-crime rate and relatively low uninsured and unemployment rates, earning it a spot on the list of safest cities in Iowa.
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Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Aggravated Assault Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 0.045629 (1st) 0.045629 (1st) 0.273774 (7th) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 9864 (3rd) 52251 (6th) 0.06 (1st) 0.145 (1st) 0.008 (6th) 0.167 (5th)
Iowa State Safety
Natural Disaster Safety
Iowa ranks 13th in the U.S. for natural disaster risks. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Iowa experienced 45 natural disasters that resulted in a presidential disaster declaration during the 30-year period between 1990 and 2020. Most of these disasters involved severe storms with straight-line winds, tornadoes and/or flooding, and several were categorized as “winter storms.” There are no major fault lines in Iowa, so earthquake activity is not a significant concern.
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Natural Disaster
Health Safety
America’s Health Rankings named Iowa the 20th healthiest state in the U.S. However, Iowans die due to heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease and Alzheimer’s disease (the top four leading causes of death in Iowa) at rates higher than the national average. On the positive side, Iowa boasts far lower death rates for homicide, drug overdose and firearm-related incidents than average. Iowa also has one of the lowest low birth weight rates in the nation.
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Health Safety
Top 7 Safest Cities in Iowa
| Mount Vernon | 4,426 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Le Mars | 9,989 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Pleasant Hill | 10,030 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Pella | 10,208 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Dubuque | 58,362 | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Grinnell | 9,000 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Des Moines | 219,159 | 7 | 7 | 7 |