Des Moines, IA Crime Statistics For 2023

Demographics | Crime | Cost Of Living
Updated: 2023-10-25

Crime Rate In Des Moines, IA Summary

Crime in Des Moines research summary. HomeSnacks has been using Saturday Night Science to report crime data in Des Moines over the past eight years using the FBI crime explorer. Based on the most recently available data released October 17, 2023, we found the following about crime in Des Moines:

  • There were 8,102 total crimes committed in Des Moines the last reporting year.
  • On a rate basis, there were 3,802.7 total crimes per 100K people in Des Moines.
  • The overall crime rate in Des Moines is 63.61% above the national average.
  • Des Moines ranks #132 safest out of 138 cities in Iowa.
  • Des Moines ranks #8,822 safest out of 9,869 cities in the United States.

Because the crime rate is so low in America, we use "per 100,000 people" to make the number a bit easier to compare across locations visually. It's mathematically the same as doing per capita comparisons and isn't conveying that there are 100,000+ people in a location.

Additional research about crime in Iowa

Des Moines Vs Iowa And National Crime Rates

According to the most recent data from the FBI, the total crime rate in Des Moines is 3,802.7 per 100,000 people. That's 63.61% higher than the national rate of 2,324.2 per 100,000 people and 89.97% higher than the Iowa total crime rate of 2,001.7 per 100,000 people.

Statistic Count
Raw
Des Moines
/ 100k People
Iowa
/ 100k People
National
/ 100k People
Total Crimes Per 100K 8,102 3,802.7 2,001.7 2,324.2
Murder 2 0.9 3.5 6.3
Robbery 165 77.4 29.8 66.1
Aggravated Assault 1,064 499.4 229.4 268.2
Violent Crime 1,340 628.9 303.5 369.8
Burglary 738 346.4 371.1 269.8
Larceny 4,580 2,149.6 1,130.1 1,401.9
Car Theft 1,444 677.7 197.1 282.7
Property Crime 6,762 3,173.8 1,698.2 1,954.4

Des Moines Crime Compared To Iowa Averages

Each category of crime indexed to the worst per capita in Iowa.
Data Source -- FBI UCR 2022.

Violent Crime Rates In Des Moines

1,340
Violent Crimes
628.9
Violent Crimes / 100k People
70.07%
Above The National Average
  • There were 1,340 violent crimes in Des Moines in the last reporting year.
  • The violent crime rate in Des Moines is 628.9 per 100,000 people.
  • You have a 1 in 159.0 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in Des Moines each year. That compares to a 1 in 329.5 chance statewide.
  • That's 70.07% higher than the national rate of 369.8 per 100,000 people.
  • 107.23% higher than the Iowa violent crime rate of 303.5 per 100,000 people.

Property Crime Rates In Des Moines

6,762
Property Crimes
3,173.8
Property Crimes / 100k People
62.39%
Above The National Average
  • There were 6,762 property crimes in Des Moines in the last reporting year.
  • The property crime rate in Des Moines is 3,173.8 per 100,000 people.
  • You have a 1 in 31.5 chance of being the victim of a property crime in Des Moines each year. That compares to a 1 in 0.0 chance nationally.
  • That's 62.39% higher than the national rate of 1,954.4 per 100,000 people.
  • And 86.88% higher than the Iowa property crime rate of 1,698.2 per 100,000 people.

Crime In Cities Around Des Moines

City Population Count
Raw
Total Crime
/ 100k People
Property Crime
/ 100k People
Violent Crime
/ 100k People
Ankeny, IA 72,315 920 1,272.2 1,075.8 196.4
West Des Moines, IA 70,701 1,391 1,967.4 1,718.5 248.9
Urbandale, IA 46,284 369 797.3 691.4 105.9
Waukee, IA 28,790 248 861.4 722.5 138.9
Johnston, IA 24,295 175 720.3 650.3 70.0
Altoona, IA 21,830 310 1,420.1 1,236.8 183.2
Clive, IA 18,984 254 1,338.0 1,069.3 268.6
Norwalk, IA 14,299 38 265.8 209.8 55.9
Pleasant Hill, IA 10,153 232 2,285.0 2,097.9 187.1
Windsor Heights, IA 5,108 182 3,563.0 3,347.7 215.3

Des Moines SnackAbility

5
/10
Overall SnackAbility
Jobs
6/10
Housing
7
Affordability
8
Diversity
9
Safety
3
Amenities
9
Education
7
Commute
9
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