Three Cities Top List of “Worst Places” to Live in Iowa

Lists like these are never fun, but every year they come out. The great state of Iowa does have some amazing and beautiful cities, but sadly some are considered incredibly dangerous.

It is important to remember that Just because these cities are considered the "worst" by sources like Onlyinyourstate does not mean they are all bad. These cities all have great things as well.

The first 10 "worst" List

Starting our list at the number 10 spot according to our friends at roadsnacks.net is as follows.

• Fort Madison
• Waterloo
• Keokuk
• Burlington
• Sioux City
• Des Moines
• Fort Dodge

Top Three "Worst" Iowa Cities

3. Davenport

We start off with a city I and many others are currently living in. Sadly Davenport has been seeing a steady increase in negative rankings over the years. Violent Crimes Per 100k is 736. Making it the Fourth most dangerous city in Iowa. Property crimes are what carry it to the number 3 spot on this list. Reports went on to say,

Personal safety is a serious concern in Davenport. A staggering 537 aggravated assaults took place in the city in 2020. As if that were not enough to rattle you, there were also 67 reports of rape in the area. The Davenport Police Department certainly has its hands full.

2. Ottumwa

According to sources, you have a one in 25 chance of being a victim of a property crime. With violent and property crimes on the rise... sadly this spot is in at number two.

One of the lesser populated places on this list, Ottumwa had its fair share of violent crime in the reporting year 2020. To be exact, 230 were reported in the community of 24,293.

It is now time for the number one spot in Iowa.

1. Council Bluffs

This area has ranked highly on lists like this over the years, but it's still sad to see it always so high. Reports go on to say that Council Bluffs is one of the most dangerous spots in all of Iowa.

That rank among the most dangerous cities in Iowa is just the beginning of the woes for Council Bluffs. You might want to brush up on your self-defense skills if you are going to spend time here. The area is second highest in the state for violent crime and 47th highest for murder.

Do you live in one of these cities? What do you think of it? Let us know on our app.