West Des Moines, IA Crime Statistics For 2026

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

Crime in West Des Moines, Iowa

Crime in West Des Moines research summary. HomeSnacks has been using Saturday Night Science to report crime data in West Des Moines 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 West Des Moines:

1,378 Total crimes
1,879.0 Crimes / 100k people
-11.33% Vs national average Below The National Average
#119 Safest in Iowa (of 150)
#6,972 Safest in the U.S. (of 9,896)

Additional research about crime in Iowa

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West Des Moines Vs Iowa And National Crime Rates

According to the most recent data from the FBI, the total crime rate in West Des Moines is 1,879.0 per 100,000 people. That's -11.33% lower than the national rate of 2,119.2 per 100,000 people and 22.02% higher than the Iowa total crime rate of 1,540.0 per 100,000 people.

Statistic Count
Raw
West Des Moines
/ 100k People
Iowa
/ 100k People
National
/ 100k People
Total Crimes Per 100K 1,378 1,879.0 1,540.0 2,119.2
Murder 0 0.0 2.1 5.0
Robbery 9 12.3 18.7 61.0
Aggravated Assault 96 130.9 187.2 256.0
Violent Crime 121 165.0 243.3 359.0
Burglary 84 114.5 199.1 229.0
Larceny 1,079 1,471.3 962.6 1,272.0
Car Theft 94 128.2 135.1 259.0
Property Crime 1,257 1,714.1 1,296.8 1,760.0

West Des Moines Crime Compared To Iowa Averages

Murder
West Des Moines
Iowa avg
Rape
West Des Moines
Iowa avg
Robbery
West Des Moines
Iowa avg
Aggravated Assault
West Des Moines
Iowa avg
Burglary
West Des Moines
Iowa avg
Larceny
West Des Moines
Iowa avg
Car Theft
West Des Moines
Iowa avg
Arson
West Des Moines
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 West Des Moines

121Violent Crimes
165.0Violent Crimes / 100k People
-54.04%Below The National Average
West Des Moines
US
  • There were 121 violent crimes in West Des Moines in the last reporting year.
  • The violent crime rate in West Des Moines is 165.0 per 100,000 people.
  • You have a 1 in 606.1 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in West Des Moines each year. That compares to a 1 in 411.1 chance statewide.
  • That's -54.04% lower than the national rate of 359.0 per 100,000 people.
  • And -32.17% lower than the Iowa violent crime rate of 243.3 per 100,000 people.

Property Crime Rates In West Des Moines

1,257Property Crimes
1,714.1Property Crimes / 100k People
-2.61%Below The National Average
West Des Moines
US
  • There were 1,257 property crimes in West Des Moines in the last reporting year.
  • The property crime rate in West Des Moines is 1,714.1 per 100,000 people.
  • You have a 1 in 58.3 chance of being the victim of a property crime in West Des Moines each year. That compares to a 1 in 0.0 chance nationally.
  • That's -2.61% lower than the national rate of 1,760.0 per 100,000 people.
  • And 32.18% higher than the Iowa property crime rate of 1,296.8 per 100,000 people.

Crime In Cities Around West Des Moines

City Population Count
Raw
Total Crime
/ 100k People
Property Crime
/ 100k People
Violent Crime
/ 100k People
Des Moines, IA 209,245 8,013 3,829.5 3,126.5 703.0
Ankeny, IA 76,547 909 1,187.5 1,021.6 165.9
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
Indianola, IA 16,104 281 1,744.9 1,471.7 273.2
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

West Des Moines SnackAbility

9Overall SnackAbility
Jobs 8.5/10
Housing 8/10
Affordability 8/10
Diversity 8/10
Safety 8/10
Amenities 8.5/10
Education 9.5/10
Commute 9/10