Ames, IA Crime Statistics For 2026

The latest crime statistics for Ames from FBI data. Includes murder, violent, and property crime rates for Ames

Crime in Ames, Iowa

Crime in Ames research summary. HomeSnacks has been using Saturday Night Science to report crime data in Ames over the past 9 years using the FBI Crime Explorer. Based on the most recently available data from the FBI's 2024 Uniform Crime Report, we found the following about crime in Ames:

1,082 Total crimes
1,653.8 Crimes / 100k people
-21.96% Vs national average Below The National Average
#112 Safest in Iowa (of 150)
#6,457 Safest in the U.S. (of 9,896)

Additional research about crime in Iowa

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Ames Vs Iowa And National Crime Rates

According to the most recent data from the FBI, the total crime rate in Ames is 1,653.8 per 100,000 people. That's -21.96% lower than the national rate of 2,119.2 per 100,000 people and 7.39% higher than the Iowa total crime rate of 1,540.0 per 100,000 people.

Statistic Count
Raw
Ames
/ 100k People
Iowa
/ 100k People
National
/ 100k People
Total Crimes Per 100K 1,082 1,653.8 1,540.0 2,119.2
Murder 0 0.0 2.1 5.0
Robbery 5 7.6 18.7 61.0
Aggravated Assault 46 70.3 187.2 256.0
Violent Crime 97 148.3 243.3 359.0
Burglary 113 172.7 199.1 229.0
Larceny 814 1,244.2 962.6 1,272.0
Car Theft 58 88.6 135.1 259.0
Property Crime 985 1,505.5 1,296.8 1,760.0

Ames Crime Compared To Iowa Averages

Murder
Ames
Iowa avg
Rape
Ames
Iowa avg
Robbery
Ames
Iowa avg
Aggravated Assault
Ames
Iowa avg
Burglary
Ames
Iowa avg
Larceny
Ames
Iowa avg
Car Theft
Ames
Iowa avg
Arson
Ames
Iowa avg

Each category indexed to the worst per-capita rate in Iowa. Source: FBI UCR 2024.

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Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2024)

Violent Crime Rates In Ames

97Violent Crimes
148.3Violent Crimes / 100k People
-58.70%Below The National Average
Ames
US
  • There were 97 violent crimes in Ames in the last reporting year.
  • The violent crime rate in Ames is 148.3 per 100,000 people.
  • You have a 1 in 674.5 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in Ames each year. That compares to a 1 in 411.1 chance statewide.
  • That's -58.70% lower than the national rate of 359.0 per 100,000 people.
  • And -39.05% lower than the Iowa violent crime rate of 243.3 per 100,000 people.

Property Crime Rates In Ames

985Property Crimes
1,505.5Property Crimes / 100k People
-14.46%Below The National Average
Ames
US
  • There were 985 property crimes in Ames in the last reporting year.
  • The property crime rate in Ames is 1,505.5 per 100,000 people.
  • You have a 1 in 66.4 chance of being the victim of a property crime in Ames each year. That compares to a 1 in 0.0 chance nationally.
  • That's -14.46% lower than the national rate of 1,760.0 per 100,000 people.
  • And 16.10% higher than the Iowa property crime rate of 1,296.8 per 100,000 people.

Crime In Cities Around Ames

City Population Count
Raw
Total Crime
/ 100k People
Property Crime
/ 100k People
Violent Crime
/ 100k People
Ankeny, IA 76,547 909 1,187.5 1,021.6 165.9
West Des Moines, IA 73,335 1,378 1,879.0 1,714.1 165.0
Urbandale, IA 47,119 341 723.7 634.6 89.1
Waukee, IA 34,520 270 782.2 640.2 141.9
Johnston, IA 24,819 205 826.0 749.4 76.6
Altoona, IA 22,422 483 2,154.1 2,011.4 142.7
Clive, IA 19,124 263 1,375.2 1,166.1 209.2
Norwalk, IA 15,588 45 288.7 179.6 109.1
Pleasant Hill, IA 10,153 232 2,285.0 2,097.9 187.1
Nevada, IA 6,744 114 1,690.4 1,230.7 459.7

Ames SnackAbility

8Overall SnackAbility
Jobs 6/10
Housing 8/10
Affordability 5/10
Diversity 8/10
Safety 7/10
Amenities 9/10
Education 9.5/10
Commute 9.5/10