Skip to content
HireSecurityNow.com

Crime Rate in Ankeny, IA (2025)

The FBI-based Crime Index for Ankeny, built from FBI Crime Data Explorer reports for 2025. Scores run 0–100 (higher = safer).

85/100
BSafe

Crime Index

Population: 78,916
Data year: 2025 · FBI Crime Data Explorer
#2 safest of 11 cities in Iowa
100% of population covered by reporting agencies · updated July 8, 2026

Is Ankeny safe?

For 2025, Ankeny scores 85/100 on our FBI-based Crime Index — a grade B (safe), which means it is one of the safer places we track. Its violent-crime rate of 151 per 100k is 0.5× the US average, with every major offense at or below the national rate. Reported crime is up 3% since 2021. It ranks #2 safest of 11 cities in Iowa.

Violent crime
151/100k
0.5× US avg
0.7× IA avg
Property crime
1,029/100k
-31% vs US avg
-12% vs IA avg
Homicide
0/100k
0.0× US avg
0.0× IA avg
Total reported
1,180/100k
0.7× US avg
-16% vs IA avg
81%

Safer than 81% of the 759 US cities we track

1 in 663

Annual odds of a reported violent crime per resident

1 in 97

Annual odds of a reported property crime per resident

Odds are the reported 2025 rate expressed per resident, city-wide — your actual risk varies by neighborhood, time, and situation.

Crime trend in Ankeny

Reported crime in Ankeny is up 3% since 2021.
1,4111,2471,083202120222023202420251,1421,180
Reported crime per 100,000 residents · hover a year for detail

Reported crime by offense

Each bar is scaled to the US average for that offense — the dashed line marks 1×. Bars past it run above the national norm; hover a row for detail.

Violent crime

Homicideanchor
0.0× US
0
0 total
Rape
+12% US
39.3
31 total
Robbery
0.2× US
8.9
7 total
Aggravated assault
0.5× US
103
81 total

Property crime

Burglary
0.4× US
65.9
52 total
Larceny-theft
-18% US
906
715 total
Motor vehicle theft
0.3× US
57
45 total
Arson
0.0× US
0
0 total

Rates shown are per 100,000 residents.

Homicide rate

0per 100k

Homicide anchors the Crime Index — see methodology.

-100% lower than the national homicide rate of 4.12 per 100k.

How Ankeny compares

Ankeny against the Iowa and US averages for 2025.

MetricAnkenyIowaUnited States
Crime Index (higher = safer)85B79B73C
Violent crime /100k151231315
Property crime /100k1,0291,1681,487
Homicide /100k01.64.1
Total reported /100k1,1801,3981,802

Grade shown per index band (88–100 = A … 0–29 = F). Rates are reported offenses per 100,000 residents.

Get quotes

Get quotes from security companies near Ankeny

Protecting yourself in Ankeny

Worried about the numbers above? Compare local providers, estimate costs, and explore the right kind of coverage.

Security cost calculator

Estimate what private security costs for your home or business.

Security guard prices

Reference hourly rates by service and coverage.

Security by industry

Tailored guidance for hotels, retail, warehouses, healthcare and more.

Security guides for Ankeny

Iowa Security Guard & Company License: Requirements & How to Verify (2026)

Hiring security in Iowa? Here's who regulates it, what a company and its guards must be licensed to hold, how armed guards are permitted, and how to verify a license yourself in minutes.

Read guide

How Much Does a Security Guard Cost? (2026 US Pricing Guide)

Unarmed guards typically run $20–$35 an hour and armed guards $35–$75 — but the number on your quote is built from local wages, insurance, and coverage hours, and it varies by 50% across states. Here's how security pricing actually works in 2026, state by state, and how to avoid overpaying.

Read guide

How to Hire a Security Guard Company: A Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

Hiring security is easy to get wrong — the cheapest bid is often the riskiest. This step-by-step guide walks you through vetting a licensed company the right way, from license checks and state-by-state training standards to the questions that separate pros from pretenders.

Read guide

How to Verify a Security Company's License (State-by-State, 2026)

There is no federal security license in the US — every state runs its own registry, and a legitimate company must be in it. Here's exactly how to check, with a state-by-state table of licensing agencies, credentials, insurance minimums, and official lookups.

Read guide

No area has zero risk

A high Crime Index score means lower reported crime relative to other US cities — it is not a guarantee of safety. Reported crime is not the same as actual crime. Research on the gap between crime that occurs and crime that gets reported to police — often called the "dark figure" of crime — estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime go unreported each year. Every index built on official statistics, including this one, necessarily undercounts real crime. That gap is exactly why homicide — the offense with the smallest dark figure — anchors the calculation instead of a more commonly reported but less reliable category like theft.

Scores on this page reflect FBI-reported data for 2025. See the full methodology →

Compare Ankeny to other Iowa cities

Ranked by Crime Index — closest to Ankeny.

Ames85 BWest Des Moines82 BIowa75 BCedar Rapids71 C

Head-to-head comparisons

Ankeny vs AmesAnkeny vs West Des MoinesAnkeny vs Iowa

Frequently asked questions

Is Ankeny safe?
Ankeny has a Crime Index of 85 out of 100 (grade B — safe) for 2025, based on FBI-reported violent and property crime rates relative to other US cities. That ranks it #2 of 11 cities in Iowa by reported crime. Reported crime is not the same as actual crime. Research on the gap between crime that occurs and crime that gets reported to police — often called the "dark figure" of crime — estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime go unreported each year. Every index built on official statistics, including this one, necessarily undercounts real crime. That gap is exactly why homicide — the offense with the smallest dark figure — anchors the calculation instead of a more commonly reported but less reliable category like theft.
What does a "B" grade mean?
A "Safe" grade means Ankeny's severity-weighted crime rate falls in the 75–87 range on the Crime Index, out of a national distribution of every city we track for 2025. Grades are calibrated against the national distribution of every area we track for the same data year — they describe an area's relative standing, not an absolute promise. A "Very safe" grade means an area sits among the lowest-crime places in the country with usable data, not that nothing ever happens there.
What is the most common crime in Ankeny?
The most frequently reported offense in Ankeny for 2025 was larceny-theft, with 715 reported incidents. See the full breakdown by offense above for how violent and property crime compare to the US average.
Is crime in Ankeny getting better or worse?
Reported crime in Ankeny is up 3% since 2021, so the trend is worsening. Year-to-year figures can shift with FBI reporting changes, not just real crime.
What are the odds of being a victim of crime in Ankeny?
Based on 2025 reported rates, Ankeny residents face roughly a 1 in 663 annual chance of a violent crime and about 1 in 97 for a property crime, calculated city-wide. Your individual risk varies widely by neighborhood, time of day, and circumstances.
How does Ankeny compare to other US cities?
Ankeny is safer than 81% of the 759 US cities we track for 2025, ranked by Crime Index. Its violent-crime rate is 0.7× the Iowa average and its property-crime rate is -12% vs the Iowa average.
Does reported crime equal real crime?
No. National research on the dark figure of crime estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime are never reported to police, so any index built on official statistics — including this one — measures a floor on real crime, not a ceiling. That's part of why the index leans most heavily on homicide, the category with the smallest reporting gap.
Most dangerous cities in Iowa
Get quotes from security companies near Ankeny
Back to Crime Rate in Iowa