Safety · Van Meter
Van Meter, IA crime & safety
Van Meter's reported crime rate is well below Iowa's. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025.
Crime reported to police, trends and how Van Meter compares with the towns next door, from FBI data.
TownTapestry Safety GradeNew
A+
Van Meter’s Safety Grade: A+
Van Meter reports less crime per resident than 97% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.
A-Violent crimeA+Property crime→Steady since 2023
All U.S. towns we grade (6,620)Safer than 97%
More reported crimeLess reported crime
Iowa towns we grade (123)Safer than 97%
Places of 1,000–5,000 people (2,167)Safer than 94%
Good confidence. Built on 6 incidents over 3 years. With counts this size, ordinary swings could put Van Meter anywhere from A to A+.
How the Safety Grade works
- One score, from FBI data. Property crimes + 4 × violent crimes reported to police, per resident, pooled over the FBI’s latest 3 years (2023–2025). Violent crime counts four times as much because it matters more to how safe a place feels. It’s the same score behind our Safest towns in IA ranking.
- Graded on a national curve. Every U.S. town and city with 1,000+ residents that reported all 3 years (6,620 places) is lined up by score: A+ top 5%A next 10%A- next 10%B B+ to B−, next 30%C C+ to C−, next 30%D D and D−, bottom 15%
- Violent and property sub-grades use the same curve on each rate alone.
- Trend compares 2025 with 2023 and only says “improving” or “rising” when the change is bigger than normal year-to-year swings.
- Not graded: towns under 1,000 people, and towns missing any of the 3 years.
- What it can’t see: unreported crime, traffic safety, or which part of town incidents happen in. Towns with a campus, highway or big shopping center count incidents involving visitors. It’s our own summary of public data, not an official rating.
Reported crime, 2025
Van Meter at a glance
Violent crime
0.5
per 1,000 residents · Iowa 2.4
Property crime
1
per 1,000 residents · Iowa 12
Incidents reported
3
1 violent · 2 property
Violent crime per 1,000
Property crime per 1,000
Trend
Reported crime per 1,000 residents, 2023–2025
Van MeterIowa
Solid lines: property crime · dashed: violent crime.
Show as a table
| Year | Van Meter property | Iowa property | Van Meter violent | Iowa violent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 0 | 14.9 | 0.6 | 2.8 |
| 2024 | 0.6 | 13.3 | 0.6 | 2.5 |
| 2025 | 1 | 12 | 0.5 | 2.4 |
What gets reported
2025, by type
Larceny / theft
2
Burglary
0
Vehicle theft
0
Aggravated assault
1
Robbery
0
Rape
0
Homicide
0
Arson
0
Offenses reported to police, not convictions.
Who keeps Van Meter safe
Local public safety
👮 Van Meter Police DepartmentReports its crime counts to the FBI — the figures on this page.
🚨 EmergenciesCall 911. For non-emergency numbers, alerts and preparedness, see the town guide.
Nearby
Van Meter and its neighbors
Reported crime per 1,000 residents in each town's latest year. * = a count, for towns under 1,000 people. Grade: the Safety Grade; — = not graded.
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van Meter | A+ | 0.5 | 1 | 2025 |
| Waukee | B+ | 1.4 | 6.2 | 2025 |
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can't tell you
- It's reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many thefts and some assaults are never reported.
- Small numbers swing. In a town of about 1,900, a handful of incidents moves the rate noticeably from year to year. The trend matters more than any one year.
- Visitors count too. Towns with a campus, highway, beach or shopping center see incidents involving people who don't live there, which raises the per-resident rate.
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn't report a full year, not that nothing happened.
Natural hazards
Low
Natural hazards in Van Meter →Mostly inland flooding. Expected storm and flood damage here is higher than in 39% of U.S. communities. 2 flood insurance claims paid since 2025.
Source: 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. This isn't an official statement of public safety — in an emergency, call 911.