Rock Valley
Sioux County · 4,188 people2.31 weighted crimes per 1,000 a year·violent 0.2, property 1.6
Iowa rankings · Safety
Safest towns in Iowa
Rock Valley reports the least crime per resident of Iowa’s 105 towns with crime figures for 2023–2025; 19 of the 105 grade A− or better on safety nationally.
Crimes reported by each town’s own police, 2023–2025, per 1,000 residents, violent crimes counted four times. The same measure as the Safety grade. For 4 of them one year isn’t in the FBI’s published tables and comes from the FBI Crime Data Explorer or the state’s own reports (named in the row). How grades work
A+
#2Grundy Center
Grundy County · 2,814 people3.68 weighted crimes per 1,000 a year·violent 0.4, property 2.2
#3Sioux Center
Sioux County · 8,864 people3.82 weighted crimes per 1,000 a year·violent 0.2, property 2.9
All 105 towns
Weighted crimes per 1,000 residents a year, lowest first, to two decimals (the sort uses the exact rate, so there are no rounding ties). Grade = the national Safety grade.
105 towns ranked. Not here? See towns without their own figures.
#TownWeighted rateViolentPropertyGrade
37BooneBoone County · 12,471 people · 2023 from the FBI Crime Data Explorer; 2024 from the FBI Crime Data Explorer1.66.6B+
Per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Last on the list: West Burlington, 105.90. The rate counts crimes reported to police, not how safe any one street feels.
Not ranked
35 towns without figures of their own
These towns of 2,500+ are not on the list because there are no police figures for them alone for all of 2023–2025, from the FBI or the state. In 2025 the FBI’s tables list State Police figures for 0 of Iowa’s counties and county sheriff figures for 90; those cover many towns at once and can’t be split by town, so they aren’t ranked here. Their other grades stand; the overall grade uses the rest.
- Bondurant Polk County · 9,647 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Cedar Falls Black Hawk County · 41,240 people: figures for 2025 only (all three years are needed).
- Center Point Linn County · 2,572 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Chariton Lucas County · 4,347 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Cresco Howard County · 3,925 people: figures for 2024 and 2025 only (all three years are needed).
- Eagle Grove Wright County · 3,653 people: figures for 2025 only (all three years are needed).
- Fairfax Linn County · 2,925 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Forest City Winnebago County · 4,143 people: figures for 2025 only (all three years are needed).
- Garner Hancock County · 3,029 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Grimes Polk County · 17,405 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Harlan Shelby County · 4,859 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Hawarden Sioux County · 2,665 people: figures for 2024 and 2025 only (all three years are needed).
- Hudson Black Hawk County · 3,028 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Humboldt Humboldt County · 4,675 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Jefferson Greene County · 4,150 people: figures for 2024 and 2025 only (all three years are needed).
- Jesup Buchanan County · 2,557 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Kalona Washington County · 2,811 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Madrid Boone County · 2,820 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Milford Dickinson County · 3,209 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Mount Vernon Linn County · 4,514 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Nevada Story County · 6,974 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- New Hampton Chickasaw County · 3,420 people: figures for 2024 and 2025 only (all three years are needed).
- Onawa Monona County · 2,821 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Orange City Sioux County · 6,468 people: figures for 2024 and 2025 only (all three years are needed).
- Pleasant Hill Polk County · 11,239 people: figures for 2024 and 2025 only (all three years are needed).
- Robins Linn County · 3,366 people: figures for 2024 and 2025 only (all three years are needed).
- Rock Rapids Lyon County · 2,733 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Saylorville Polk County · 3,366 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Sergeant Bluff Woodbury County · 5,324 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Sibley Osceola County · 2,762 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Solon Johnson County · 3,345 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Tama Tama County · 3,011 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Tiffin Johnson County · 7,156 people: no figures of its own in the FBI’s tables for 2023–2025.
- Wilton Muscatine County · 2,892 people: figures for 2023 and 2024 only (all three years are needed).
- Winterset Madison County · 5,520 people: figures for 2024 and 2025 only (all three years are needed).
Quick answers
Questions people ask
Which is the safest town in Iowa?
Rock Valley (Sioux County) reports the least crime per resident: 2.31 weighted crimes per 1,000 a year over 2023–2025 (0.16 violent and 1.65 property crimes per 1,000), from its police department’s reports to the FBI. Grundy Center (3.68) and Sioux Center (3.82) follow.
How are these towns ranked?
By crimes reported by each town’s police per 1,000 residents over three years (FBI figures, or the state’s own where the FBI table lacks a year), with violent crimes counted four times as heavily as property crimes. It is the same measure as the Safety grade on each town’s page. How grades work.
Why isn’t my town on this list?
The list needs 2,500+ residents and the town’s own police figures for all three years. 35 Iowa towns of 2,500+ lack them; they are listed above with the reason. Smaller towns have a Safety grade on their page but no rank.
Go deeper
All Iowa rankings →More Iowa lists
Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.
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