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Jump between the major ranking views for Iowa and compare how the order changes when priorities shift.
State Ranking
Safest Cities in IA
These are the safest cities in Iowa, weighted primarily by safety while still factoring in affordability and overall livability.
This page helps users searching for the safest cities in Iowa compare stronger safety profiles while still understanding affordability and overall fit.
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Data-driven ranking of Safest Cities in IA based on cost, safety, and livability.
Safest cities in Iowa
Cities that rise highest when safety carries the most weight.
#1
Urbandale, IA scores 69/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city with a more affordable than many comparable markets cost profile,…
#2
94
Waukee, IA scores 69/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city with a more affordable than many comparable markets cost profile,…
#3
94
Marion, IA scores 71/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city with a more affordable than many comparable markets cost profile,…
More ranked cities
Continue exploring cities that score well within this ranking model.
#4
Bettendorf, IA scores 70/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city with…
#5
84
Ankeny, IA scores 70/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city with…
#6
83
Ames, IA scores 72/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city with…
#7
Cedar Falls, IA scores 67/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city…
#8
West Des Moines, IA scores 69/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller…
#9
Mason City, IA scores 69/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city…
#10
Iowa City, IA scores 67/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city…
#11
Marshalltown, IA scores 69/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city with…
#12
67
Dubuque, IA scores 71/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city with…
#13
Cedar Rapids, IA scores 72/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a mid-sized city…
#14
60
Waterloo, IA scores 69/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city with…
#15
Council Bluffs, IA scores 69/100 (Good) on Your Area Score. It is a smaller city…
How to use this safest-cities ranking
Safety-driven searches often start with risk reduction, but the best relocation decisions still depend on cost, access, and day-to-day livability. That is why this page balances safety with supporting signals.
The goal is to surface safer cities in Iowa that still offer a workable quality-of-life profile, rather than treating one metric as the entire decision.
How this ranking works
The safest-city model in Iowa gives the most weight to safety, then uses affordability, infrastructure, and overall MoveScore as supporting filters so stronger safety profiles rise higher without ignoring broader livability.
These pages are designed to help users compare cities faster, then click deeper into the city profiles for more detail on cost of living, safety, climate, schools, infrastructure, grocery access, and broader trade-offs.
Safety
Schools
Affordability
Infrastructure
MoveScore