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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.



West Des Moines, IA crime analytics

Source & Methodology

Analytics built by:   Location, Inc.

Raw data sources:   18,000 local law enforcement agencies in the U.S.

Date(s) & Update Frequency:   Reflects 2022 calendar year; released from FBI in Oct. 2023 (latest available). Updated annually. Where is 2023 data?

Methodology:   Our nationwide meta-analysis overcomes the issues inherent in any crime database, including non-reporting and reporting errors. This is possible by associating the 9.4 million reported crimes in the U.S, including over 2 million geocoded point locations…. Read more about Scout's Crime Data

The crime rate in West Des Moines is considerably higher than the national average across all communities in America from the largest to the smallest, although at 20 crimes per one thousand residents, it is not among the communities with the very highest crime rate. The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in West Des Moines is 1 in 51. Based on FBI crime data, West Des Moines is not one of the safest communities in America. Relative to Iowa, West Des Moines has a crime rate that is higher than 92% of the state's cities and towns of all sizes.

However, compared to other communities of similar population size, West Des Moines has a crime rate that is noticeably lower than the average. This means that for comparably sized cities all across America, West Des Moines is actually safer than most according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis of FBI crime data.

Now let us turn to take a look at how West Des Moines does for violent crimes specifically, and then how it does for property crimes. This is important because the overall crime rate can be further illuminated by understanding if violent crime or property crimes (or both) are the major contributors to the general rate of crime in West Des Moines.

From our analysis, we discovered that violent crime in West Des Moines occurs at a rate higher than in most communities of all population sizes in America. The chance that a person will become a victim of a violent crime in West Des Moines; such as armed robbery, aggravated assault, rape or murder; is 1 in 402. This equates to a rate of 2 per one thousand inhabitants.

NeighborhoodScout's analysis also reveals that West Des Moines's rate for property crime is 17 per one thousand population. This makes West Des Moines a place where there is an above average chance of becoming a victim of a property crime, when compared to all other communities in America of all population sizes. Property crimes are motor vehicle theft, arson, larceny, and burglary. Your chance of becoming a victim of any of these crimes in West Des Moines is one in 58.

West Des Moines Crime Data

total Crime Index

23

(100 is safest)


Safer than 23% of U.S. cities.

West Des Moines Annual Crimes

  Violent Property Total

Number of Crimes

176

1,214

1,390

Crime Rate
(per 1,000 residents)

2.49

17.16

19.65

Violent Crime

Violent Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents)

20 15 10 5 0
2.49
2.87
National Median: 4
    West Des Moines
    Iowa

Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Violent Crime

1 in 402

in West Des Moines

1 in 349

in Iowa

West Des Moines Violent Crimes

Population: 70,741
Murder Rape Robbery Assault
Report Total 1 16 20 139
Rate per 1,000 0.01 0.23 0.28 1.96

United States Violent Crimes

Population: 333,287,557
Murder Rape Robbery Assault
Report Total 21,156 133,294 220,450 893,980
Rate per 1,000 0.06 0.40 0.66 2.68

Property Crime

Property Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents)

100 75 50 25 0
17.16
13.31
National Median: 20
    West Des Moines
    Iowa

Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Property Crime

1 in 58

in West Des Moines

1 in 75

in Iowa

Property Crimes

Population: 70,741
burglary theft motor vehicle theft
Report Total 86 1,039 89
Rate per 1,000 1.22 14.69 1.26

United States Property Crimes

Population: 333,287,557
burglary theft motor vehicle theft
Report Total 899,293 4,672,363 942,173
Rate per 1,000 2.70 14.02 2.83

West Des Moines Crimes Per Square Mile

200 150 100 50 0
35
11
National Median: 27.0
    West Des Moines
    Iowa