If you’ve ever read Iowa City’s Press-Citizen’s Crime and Courts page, then you know what many Iowans already know: this Midwest state has some pretty dangerous places, too.
Do we think it’s because the flatlanders are bored? Jobs are scarce? Low wages? Yes, all three and then some. So, it would be in your best interest to take a look below at RoadSnacks’ list of the most dangerous places in Iowa for 2020 before you make any life changing decisions.
How’d we determine the most dangerous places in corn country? We consulted the numbers. In total, we analyzed 72 cities. We looked at the FBI’s latest crime report for violent crime and property crime statistics for every place with over 5,000 residents. We discovered that West Virginia has some pretty interesting statistics when it comes to violent and property crime compared to the national average. Iowa is winning the arson game, but losing in murder and aggravated assault. And, shockingly, the city with the most assaults and murders in the state has less than 26,000 residents.
Now, it’s not all crazy scary in Iowa. The state’s good angel is definitely looking out for the state’s safest cities. The ying to that yang, however, is that Iowa has its fair share of dangerous cities too; and folks, they’re pretty dangerous. And if you think that most of Iowa’s problems are centered around the state’s largest cities, you’re partially right. Surprisingly, however, the most dangerous city in Iowa has only 11,000 residents.
While Iowa was not in the top ten most dangerous states in the country, Des Moines and Davenport are two of the most dangerous cities in the country. Maybe these cities need more police presence? We’re not entirely sure. But one thing we do know is that you should check out Iowa’s most dangerous places below: there may be some surprises.
Here are the 10 most dangerous cities in Iowa for 2020:
- Keokuk (Photos)
- Clinton (Photos)
- Davenport (Photos)
- Burlington (Photos)
- Des Moines (Photos)
- Ottumwa (Photos)
- Fort Dodge (Photos)
- Red Oak (Photos)
- Fort Madison (Photos)
- Centerville (Photos)
This is not a list that any city in any state wants to see their name. You probably won’t see a sign entering the most dangerous place in a state that reads “number one most dangerous city in iowa”: it’s not something to brag about. But, people need to know.
So, without further adieu, the most dangerous place in Iowa is Keokuk.
Take a look at the list below to see the rest of Iowa’s most dangerous places; and if you don’t see what you’re looking for there, head to the bottom.
Learn more about the safest places in Iowa.
If you’re looking for something more national, check out the most dangerous cities in America or the most dangerous states in America.
For more Iowa reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In Iowa
- These Are The 10 Best Counties To Live In Iowa
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Iowa
Graphing The Most Dangerous And Safest Places In Iowa
The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In Iowa For 2020
Located on the southeastern edge of the state, Keokuk ranks 1st overall.
In 2018, residents faced a 1 in 115 chance of being the victim of a violent crime.
Keokuk’s violent crimes have risen 8% in recent years, meaning it’s on track to overtake the role of most dangerous city in Iowa in the not too distant future.
Clinton is the easternmost city in Iowa, and is on the western shore of the Mississippi.
The city has seen dramatic changes in both its violent and property crime statistics in recent years.
While property crime fell by 24% between 2017-2018, violent crime rose by 32%, with residents facing a 1 in 86 chance of being the victim of violence in 2018.
Both property crime and violent crime fell in Davenport between 2017-2018, but both bounced back up in 2018 relative to the one year previous.
Residents still faced a 1 in 137 chance of being the victim of violence in 2018.
The crime rate has been on the increase. I’ve noticed more and more terrible drivers; running red lights, texting while driving, etc.
Terrible drivers, rude employees, employees that sit on their phones rather than helping out customers.
Burlington has more problems — namely crime. It’s the 4th most dangerous city in Iowa.
Statistically, 1 in 107 people in Burlington was the victim of a rape, attack or outright killed in 2018. That’s a really large number.
And that’s just residents who actually reported a crime. Chances are it was even higher than that.
Iowa’s capital and most populous city, Des Moines, ranks as the 5th most dangerous city in the state.
The super high 1 in 22.7 chance of being the victim of a property crime earns Des Moines its high danger level.
There has been modest progress in reducing both categories of crime, but violent crime still totaled 1,456 in 2018.
Ottumwa comes in as the most dangerous city in the state. It has the 13th highest rate of violent crime, and places 4th for its rate of property crime.
Residents of Ottumwa had a 1 in 18.9 chance of being the victim of theft or arson in 2018. They also had a 1 in 170 chance of being the victim of violence.
Crime is on rise 4 shooting…. Home invasion. Robbery. Housing prices is all time high rent over 800 hundred dollars a month. Up to 1500$ a month. Businesses and landlords are discriminating against people get disability check. Won’t help people I lost respect for ottumwa
Nothing stand out half business shutting down
Located along the Des Moines River in north-central Iowa, Fort Dodge is safer than the city above it, but it’s still the 7th most dangerous city in Iowa.
There’s a 1 in 7th chance of being the victim of theft or arson — pretty darn high — and those numbers have remained consistently high in recent years.
I am from Fort Dodge. I can absolutely assure you this town is NOT redneck. It is full of thug wannabes, criminals, and it’s terrible. Maybe do more research before you make such disgusting claims. This is an insult to actual Iowa rednecks.
Red Oak ranks as the 8th most dangerous city in Iowa.
The sheer volume of people passing through Red Oak probably contributes to the high occurrence of violent crime within the city. There were 40 violent crimes in 2018.
Fort Madison’s violent crime rate resembles something more like a big city than the small town that it is.
The crime mentality of the populous gave Fort Madison a 11th place finish for violent crime rank and 16th for property crime.
Located in southern Iowa, Centerville has moderately bad statistics for both violent and property crime.
The smallest city to make this list has seen a 32% drop in property crime between 2017-2018, a difference of a 1 in 22 chance down to a 1 in 18.4 chance; still pretty high, but progress is good.
Unfortunately, Centerville’s violent crime statistics have remained stagnant over the same time period.
How Is Your Town In ?
How we determined the most dangerous cities in Iowa for 2020?
Every year the FBI release two crime datasets, a preliminary dataset limited to the biggest cities in the country, followed by a more detailed release at the end of the year.
For our analysis, we focused on the JUST released 2017 data, specifically the 2017 Crime In The United States Report. We will update the results when data becomes available in September 2019.
So what criteria did we use? Have a look:
- Violent Crimes Per Capita
- Property Crimes Per Capita
In order to make the analysis as apples to apples as possible, we only considered cities over 5,000 in population. That left us with 72 cities in Iowa.
We then ranked each city from 1 to 72 for the two criteria with a #1 ranking being the most dangerous for the particular criteria.
Next, we averaged the two rankings into one “Dangerous Index”.
Finally, we ranked every city on the “Dangerous Index” with the lowest index being the most dangerous in Iowa — Keokuk.
Read on for a detailed look at the 10 most dangerous cities in Iowa.
Locking It All Up In Iowa
The latest FBI crime data shows that Keokuk ranks as the most dangerous city in Iowa for 2020.
We want to point out again that there’s still safes places in Keokuk and that this isn’t a comment on the people that live there. So please don’t beat us up.
If you’re curious enough, here are the safest cities in Iowa:
- Orange City (Pop. 6,199)
- Norwalk (Pop. 10,874)
- Sioux Center (Pop. 7,578)
For more Iowa reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Iowa
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Retire In Iowa
- These Are The 10 Richest Cities In Iowa
- 10 Safest Places In Iowa
- 10 Worst Places To Live In Iowa
Where Are The Most Dangerous Cities In Iowa?
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keokuk | 10,376 |
| 2 | Clinton | 25,532 |
| 3 | Davenport | 103,063 |
| 4 | Burlington | 25,227 |
| 5 | Des Moines | 217,277 |
| 6 | Ottumwa | 24,397 |
| 7 | Fort Dodge | 24,331 |
| 8 | Red Oak | 5,437 |
| 9 | Fort Madison | 10,525 |
| 10 | Centerville | 5,316 |
The post 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Iowa For 2020 appeared first on RoadSnacks.
