Posted in Iowa
September 08, 2016
Here Are The 10 Most Dangerous Places In Iowa After Dark
While Iowa is generally pretty safe (we didn’t even lock our doors when I was growing up), there are still some cities in Iowa that are safer than others. This list of 10 of the more dangerous places in Iowa includes cities where you might want to be more aware of possible crime than others. This list ranks the top 10 most dangerous places in Iowa based only on violent crime data, and not other types of crime, like larceny and motor vehicle theft.
These findings are in accordance with FBI crime data from 2014 on the violent crimes per capita. The FBI defines violent crime as any crime that includes murder, non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery or aggravated assault.
With a population of 68,358, Waterloo ranks number 1 in overall violent crime with a rate of 95.53 per 10,000 people, and a total of 653 reported violent crimes. In 2014, the FBI reported that there were a total of 6 murders and non-negligent manslaughters, 84 rapes, 65 robberies and 498 aggravated assaults.
While Keokuk has a population of only 10,767, Keokuk ranks #2 in overall violent crime with a whopping rate of 87.30 per 10,000 people. The town’s murder and robbery numbers are low, but for the small population, the rape and aggravated assault numbers are fairly high. In 2014, the FBI reported that there were a total of 0 murders and non-negligent manslaughters, 4 rapes, 1 robbery and 89 aggravated assaults.
The small town of Carter Lake, with a population of only 3,737, is on the western border of the state and is located near Omaha, Nebraska. While the individual crime numbers might look fairly small, it ranks quite highly for its violent crime numbers per capita, at a rate of 82.95 per 10,000 people. In 2014, the FBI reported that there were a total of 0 murders and non-negligent manslaughters, 3 rapes, 3 robberies and 25 aggravated assaults.
Fort Dodge has a population of 24,524 people, and their violent crime rate ranks at #4 on the list, at a rate of 68.50 per 10,000 people. In 2014, the FBI reported that there were a total of 1 murders and non-negligent manslaughters, 13 rapes, 14 robberies and 140 aggravated assaults.
Burlington is home to 25,762 and comes in at #5 on the list at a violent crime rate of 62.88 per 10,000 people. In 2014, the FBI reported that there were a total of 2 murders and non-negligent manslaughters, 16 rapes, 29 robberies and 115 aggravated assaults.
Oelwein may have a fairly small population, at 6,224, but it has a pretty high violent crime rate, at 62.66 per 10,000 people. There were no reported murders or non-negligent manslaughters, but for the size of the town, they ranked quite highly in aggravated assault. In 2014, the FBI reported that there were a total of 0 murders and non-negligent manslaughters, 1 rape, 1 robbery and 37 aggravated assaults.
Clinton’s population is 26,375, and it ranks #7 for overall violent crime at 62.56 per 10,000 people. While Clinton had no murders or non-negligent manslaughters, it was pretty high on rape, robbery and aggravated assault. In 2014, the FBI reported that there were a total of 0 murders and non-negligent manslaughters, 17 rapes, 22 robberies and 126 aggravated assaults.
Davenport is the state’s third largest city with a population of 102,715, and a rate of violent crime at 61.92 per 10,000 people. In 2014, the FBI reported that there were a total of 2 murders and non-negligent manslaughters, 100 rapes, 166 robberies and 368 aggravated assaults.
While Muscatine is more of a medium-sized town, with a population of 23,057, it ranks fairly highly at #9, with a rate of 60.72 per 10,000 people. In 2014, the FBI reported that there were a total of 3 murders and non-negligent manslaughters, 17 rapes, 7 robberies and 113 aggravated assaults.
Des Moines is the largest city in the state with a population of 208,250 and comes in at #10 on the list with a violent crime rate of 60.02 per 10,000 people. In 2014, the FBI reported that there were a total of 9 murders and non-negligent manslaughters, 87 rapes, 267 robberies and 887 aggravated assaults.
What did you think of this list? Were you surprised by some of the places on it? If you’re also interested in safer places in Iowa, Here Are The 10 Safest And Most Peaceful Places To Live In Iowa.