What is the crime rate in Des Moines, IA?
In 2025, the Des Moines Police Department reported 1,367 violent crimes and 6,043 property crimes to the FBI.
That is 642 violent and 2,838 property crimes per 100,000 of the 212,933 residents it serves.
Across Iowa the rates were 238 and 1,205.
Nationally they were 330 and 1,552.
Figures last updated on .
- Violent per 100,000
- 642
- Property per 100,000
- 2,838
- Violent crimes
- 1,367
- Property crimes
- 6,043
Crime reported by the Des Moines Police Department, 2023 to 2025
| Year | Violent crimes | Violent per 100,000 | Property crimes | Property per 100,000 | Residents served |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1,497 | 714 | 7,127 | 3,399 | 209,658 |
| 2024 | 1,480 | 707 | 6,606 | 3,157 | 209,245 |
| 2025 | 1,367 | 642 | 6,043 | 2,838 | 212,933 |
Violent crimes reported went from 1,497 in 2023 to 1,367 in 2025.
Property crimes reported went from 7,127 in 2023 to 6,043 in 2025.
In a small town a handful of incidents moves these numbers a long way, so one year’s change says little on its own.
Des Moines against Iowa and the nation
| Violent crime | Property crime | |
|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | 642 | 2,838 |
| Polk County | 387 | 1,923 |
| Iowa | 238 | 1,205 |
| United States | 330 | 1,552 |
These are rates per resident; they are not adjusted for visitors, commuters or the size of the area, which raise or lower a town’s figures without changing anybody’s risk.
Crime reported in places near Des Moines, 2025
| Place | Distance | Violent per 100,000 | Property per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | — | 642 | 2,838 |
| Pleasant Hill | 5.7 mi | 40 | 756 |
| Windsor Heights | 5.7 mi | 79 | 4,375 |
| Carlisle | 7.1 mi | 158 | 586 |
| Norwalk | 7.6 mi | 50 | 286 |
| Altoona | 8.6 mi | 184 | 1,399 |
| West Des Moines | 9.0 mi | 147 | 1,529 |
| Urbandale | 9.8 mi | 122 | 524 |
| Clive | 10 mi | 81 | 984 |
Neighboring departments count the same offenses the same way, but their areas, populations and visitors differ, so a difference between two towns is a starting point for a question, not an answer.
How to read these numbers
These are offenses known to the police and reported to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program: crimes nobody reported, or that a department did not record, are not in them.
Violent crime is murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property crime is burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.
A department reports the crimes in the area it polices, which can differ from the town’s boundaries, and the FBI estimates the population it serves.
The FBI asks that these figures not be used to rank places or to judge how safe a neighborhood is: crime depends on many local factors, and the counts describe a whole town, not any street or home.
A year is shown only when the department reported all twelve months.
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Questions about Des Moines
What is the crime rate in Des Moines?
In 2025, the Des Moines Police Department reported 642 violent crimes and 2,838 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
How many crimes were reported in Des Moines in 2025?
In 2025, the Des Moines Police Department reported 1,367 violent crimes and 6,043 property crimes to the FBI.
Has crime gone up or down in Des Moines?
Violent crimes reported went from 1,497 in 2023 to 1,367 in 2025.
Property crimes reported went from 7,127 in 2023 to 6,043 in 2025.
Where do these crime figures come from?
From the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program: each police department reports the offenses known to it every month, and the FBI publishes them in its Crime Data Explorer.
Sources
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Des Moines Police Department (ORI IA0770300)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .
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