FBI arrest data · 2024
Iowa Arrests
77,701 arrests were reported by 255 Iowa law-enforcement agencies in 2024. The most common charge was all other offenses (exc. traffic) (26,346); 10.6% of arrests were of juveniles.
Iowa arrests by offense
| Offense | Arrests | Share |
|---|---|---|
| All other offenses (exc. traffic) | 26,346 | 33.9% |
| Simple assault | 10,186 | 13.1% |
| Drug abuse violations | 9,949 | 12.8% |
| Driving under the influence | 9,158 | 11.8% |
| Larceny-theft | 8,251 | 10.6% |
| Aggravated assault | 3,753 | 4.8% |
| Vandalism | 2,037 | 2.6% |
| Liquor law violations | 1,740 | 2.2% |
| Burglary | 1,088 | 1.4% |
| Fraud | 955 | 1.2% |
| Weapons (carrying, possessing) | 890 | 1.1% |
| Disorderly conduct | 800 | 1.0% |
| Motor vehicle theft | 671 | 0.9% |
| Offenses against family & children | 331 | 0.4% |
| Stolen property (buy/receive/possess) | 330 | 0.4% |
| Rape | 262 | 0.3% |
| Forgery & counterfeiting | 260 | 0.3% |
| Robbery | 259 | 0.3% |
| Embezzlement | 108 | 0.1% |
| Sex offenses (exc. rape & prostitution) | 104 | 0.1% |
| Arson | 76 | 0.1% |
| Murder & nonnegligent manslaughter | 51 | 0.1% |
| Curfew & loitering | 29 | 0.0% |
| Prostitution & commercialized vice | 23 | 0.0% |
| Manslaughter by negligence | 20 | 0.0% |
| Vagrancy | 12 | 0.0% |
| Gambling | 10 | 0.0% |
| Human trafficking — commercial sex | 2 | 0.0% |
| Drunkenness | 0 | 0.0% |
| Runaway | 0 | 0.0% |
| Human trafficking — servitude | 0 | 0.0% |
| Suspicion | 0 | 0.0% |
Who was arrested in Iowa
By sex & age
Shares of all Iowa arrests.
Male55,594 · 71.5%
Female22,107 · 28.5%
Adults (18+)69,452 · 89.4%
Juveniles8,249 · 10.6%
By race & ethnicity
Agencies report race and ethnicity separately from the age/sex counts, so shares below are of the 74,939 race entries reported (69,869 ethnicity entries) — a different universe than the total above, which it can undershoot or occasionally exceed.
| White | 54,811 | 73.1% |
| Black or African American | 17,673 | 23.6% |
| American Indian / Alaska Native | 970 | 1.3% |
| Asian / Pacific Islander | 1,485 | 2.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 7,034 | 10.1% |
Iowa arrests by county
By the arresting agency's headquarters county — multi-jurisdiction agencies land in one county.
Scott County9,205Polk County8,809Linn County6,111Dubuque County4,875Woodbury County3,928Black Hawk County3,701Johnson County3,553Pottawattamie County2,436Wapello County2,030Des Moines County1,829Cerro Gordo County1,804Muscatine County1,628Story County1,607Clinton County1,043Warren County999Dallas County997Webster County997Lee County979Marshall County937Jasper County936Fayette County656Buena Vista County622Plymouth County589Buchanan County499Hardin County479Cass County464Union County446Henry County437Marion County419Mahaska County415Hamilton County410Washington County395Clay County394Sioux County372O'Brien County370Lucas County346Mills County334Page County333Delaware County319Carroll County310Floyd County301Jackson County282Bremer County281Louisa County261Appanoose County245Clarke County245Poweshiek County234Jefferson County227Winneshiek County222Kossuth County214Cherokee County210Franklin County202Madison County198Benton County197Crawford County197Fremont County193Montgomery County178Tama County178Palo Alto County177Dickinson County174Jones County166Lyon County164Iowa County160Monona County128Sac County124Emmet County122Osceola County120Ida County118Grundy County114Hancock County112Allamakee County108Adams County103Shelby County103Van Buren County99Boone County93Cedar County90Howard County83Clayton County80Greene County79Keokuk County72Worth County72Guthrie County68Pocahontas County65Wright County65Mitchell County56Davis County50Humboldt County49Monroe County49Wayne County49Butler County45Chickasaw County44Adair County38Audubon County37Taylor County27Harrison County2
Largest agencies by reported arrests
| Agency | Type | County | Arrests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davenport Police Department | City | Scott County | 5,662 |
| Cedar Rapids Police Department | City | Linn County | 5,359 |
| Sioux City Police Department | City | Woodbury County | 3,634 |
| Dubuque Police Department | City | Dubuque County | 3,514 |
| Waterloo Police Department | City | Black Hawk County | 2,710 |
| Des Moines Police Department | City | Polk County | 2,473 |
| Scott County Sheriff's Office | County | Scott County | 2,341 |
| Iowa City Police Department | City | Johnson County | 2,125 |
| Ottumwa Police Department | City | Wapello County | 1,750 |
| Council Bluffs Police Department | City | Pottawattamie County | 1,663 |
| Polk County Sheriff's Office | County | Polk County | 1,364 |
| Dubuque County Sheriff's Office | County | Dubuque County | 1,321 |
| West Des Moines Police Department | City | Polk County | 1,292 |
| Muscatine Police Department | City | Muscatine County | 1,192 |
| Mason City Police Department | City | Cerro Gordo County | 1,131 |
| Bettendorf Police Department | City | Scott County | 1,081 |
| Ankeny Police Department | City | Polk County | 1,029 |
| Burlington Police Department | City | Des Moines County | 938 |
| Marshalltown Police Department | City | Marshall County | 937 |
| Ames Police Department | City | Story County | 914 |
| Fort Dodge Police Department | City | Webster County | 869 |
| Clinton Police Department | City | Clinton County | 804 |
| Urbandale Police Department | City | Polk County | 649 |
| Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office | County | Black Hawk County | 646 |
| Altoona Police Department | City | Polk County | 619 |
About this data
- Counts are arrests, not people. One person arrested twice counts twice; an arrest with several charges counts once, under the most serious charge.
- Reported agencies only. Figures cover the ~14,500 agencies in the FBI's 2024 Uniform Crime Reporting arrest (ASR) file — about 94–95% of the FBI's official national total, which additionally counts agencies that report only through NIBRS. Nothing here is estimated for non-reporting agencies, so totals slightly undercount and are not strictly comparable across areas with different reporting coverage.
- Location is the arresting agency's headquarters, not where the arrest happened. Multi-jurisdiction agencies (state police, sheriffs, transit police) concentrate in one county — county figures are approximate, and about 3% of arrests come from agencies that can't be placed in any county.
- Race and ethnicity are reported separately from the age/sex counts, and not for every arrest — race is reported for ≈95% of arrests, ethnicity for ≈81%. Shares here use those reported subtotals as denominators.
- No per-capita rates. Because reporting coverage varies by area, population-adjusted rates would mislead; we show counts only. Arrests measure enforcement activity, not crime rates.
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, 2024 Arrest (ASR) master file. pumsdata is independent and not affiliated with the FBI. How our data works.
Iowa arrests — FAQ
How many arrests were made in Iowa in 2024?+
77,701 arrests were reported to the FBI by 255 Iowa law-enforcement agencies in 2024. Actual arrests are somewhat higher, since not every agency reports.
What is the most common arrest offense in Iowa?+
All other offenses (exc. traffic) — 26,346 arrests, 33.9% of the state's reported total.
How many juveniles were arrested in Iowa?+
8,249 of Iowa's 2024 reported arrests (10.6%) were of juveniles under 18.
Where does this data come from?+
The FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program's 2024 arrest (ASR) master file. Counts are arrests, not unique persons, from reporting agencies only. pumsdata is independent and not affiliated with the FBI.