Photo: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.0West Burlington records more crime per resident than almost every U.S. town
Measured on crimes West Burlington’s police reported between 2023 and 2025, it earns a Safety Grade of D−. The local count comes to 2.5 violent crimes and 95.9 incidents of property crime per 1,000 people each year, with 3.2 and 17.7 in the rest of Iowa. The graded rate fell 31% from 2023 to 2025. It has more violent crime than 66% of U.S. towns, and more property crime than 100%.
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. “Rest of IA” is every other Iowa city and town in the FBI’s tables; the U.S. figure is the FBI’s national estimate as published, averaged over the three years. The FBI publishes no national homicide or robbery rate in our data, so those compare with all U.S. cities and towns in its tables.
What stands out about safety in West Burlington
1 of the 1 graded towns next door reports less crime
Of the 1 Iowa towns on West Burlington’s borders, 1 have a Safety Grade: Burlington (C−). Neighbors ↓
A college town
West Burlington is home to Southeastern Community College, with 1,684 students taking classes on campus (federal college data), and 8% of residents are enrolled in college (Census). Students who live in town count as residents, so they are part of the per-resident rate. How to read it ↓
A job center
West Burlington has 5,181 jobs based in town for 3,358 residents (Census LEHD), so some reports involve people who work or shop there rather than residents. How to read it ↓
Reported crime is falling
Crime reported per resident fell from 2023 to 2025 by more than ordinary year-to-year swings, on the grade’s own score. Trend ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, not convictions.
What’s behind West Burlington’s grade
Property crimes plus four times violent crimes reported to the FBI per resident, 2023–2025, on a national curve. Both violent and property crime are higher than in most U.S. towns; violent crime is the closer of the two to typical. Its violent rate (2.5) is below the FBI’s national estimate (3.6) but higher than in most individual towns: the national figure is weighted by people, and the grade counts towns.
Reported crime per resident, 2023 to 2025
Show as a table
| Year | West Burlington property | Rest of Iowa property | West Burlington violent | Rest of Iowa violent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 91.9 | 19.0 | 6.0 | 3.7 |
| 2023 | 112.9 | 19.9 | 4.1 | 3.6 |
| 2024 | 95.9 | 17.8 | 1.9 | 3.1 |
| 2025 | 79.4 | 15.7 | 1.5 | 2.9 |
Crimes per 1,000 residents
Reported crime per resident fell from 2023 to 2025, by more than ordinary year-to-year swings. Per 1,000 residents, 2022–2025, against the rest of Iowa.
Crime in West Burlington per 1,000 residents
Violent crime per 1,000 residents, 2025
Property crime per 1,000 residents, 2025
Crimes reported to police in 2025 per resident; one person can be the victim of more than one, and some reports involve visitors.
And about 2 violent crimes, in 2025. Below are 1,000 dots, one per resident; each colored dot is one reported crime.
Violent crime, by year and by type
Show as a table
| Year | West Burlington | Rest of Iowa | U.S. (FBI national estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 6.0 | 3.7 | 4.0 |
| 2023 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.9 |
| 2024 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 3.6 |
| 2025 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 3.3 |
Violent crimes per 1,000 residents
By type 2023–2025, counts
West Burlington’s police reported 24 violent crimes to the FBI over 2023–2025, about 2.5 per 1,000 residents a year, against 3.2 in the rest of Iowa and the FBI’s national estimate of 3.6.
264 crimes reported in 2025
2025 offenses reported
Offenses reported to police, not convictions. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting. The last row is counted outside the property total.
5 violent and 259 property, as reported to the FBI by West Burlington’s police.
Two people died in crashes on West Burlington’s roads in 2019–2023
West Burlington had 2 fatal crashes in five years, in which two people died.
That is about what is typical for Iowa towns of 2,500–5,000 people: at their median rate (0.0 deaths per 100,000 residents a year), a town of West Burlington’s size would see about 0 in five years. With numbers this small, a death or two either way changes the picture, so West Burlington’s own rate (12.5) is context, not a ranking.
Deaths are counted where the crash happened, not where the people lived: a highway through town adds through-traffic deaths, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Town rates sit below state and U.S. rates because a third of fatal crashes happen outside any town. Road safety is described here and is not part of the Safety Grade. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023.
West Burlington and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Burlington | D− | 2.5 | 95.9 |
| Burlington | C− | 4.1 | 18.0 |
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Iowa towns of a similar size
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Burlington | D− | 2.5 | 95.9 |
| Osage | A− | 1.3 | 4.6 |
| Story City | B+ | 0.9 | 7.1 |
| Williamsburg | B | 1.9 | 8.0 |
| Albia | C+ | 4.4 | 5.6 |
| Carter Lake | D | 5.8 | 38.6 |
The five graded Iowa towns closest to West Burlington’s population (3,358), by grade.
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many crimes are never reported to police.
- One number for all of West Burlington. A town-wide rate doesn’t show where incidents happen, and that can differ a lot from one part of town to another.
- Visitors count too. Incidents involving people who work, shop or visit are counted against West Burlington’s residents, which raises the per-resident rate.
- Whose population. Rates use the FBI’s population for the department (3,262 in 2025); our figure for West Burlington is 3,358 (2025 Census estimate).
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
How the grade is calculated, for every town: How TownRatings grades safety →
Questions about safety in West Burlington
Is West Burlington, IA safe?
On crimes reported to the FBI in 2023–2025, West Burlington reports more crime per resident than 99% of U.S. towns, a D− Safety Grade. Its police reported 2.5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year, against 3.2 in the rest of Iowa and the FBI’s national estimate of 3.6.
What is the crime rate in West Burlington?
2.5 violent and 95.9 property crimes per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025, as reported to the FBI. The rest of Iowa reports 3.2 and 17.7; the FBI’s national estimate is 3.6 and 17.6.
Is West Burlington safer than Burlington?
Burlington reports less crime per resident than West Burlington: Burlington grades C− for safety and West Burlington D−. Burlington’s police reported 4.1 violent and 18.0 property crimes per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Who polices West Burlington?
West Burlington’s own police department, which reports to the FBI as “West Burlington”. Its figures are the ones on this page.
Heads-up board
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Neighbors looking out for each other in West Burlington.
Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, 2025, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Road deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.