Merle Hay, IA Crime Rates: Stats & Map

Get crime, demographics and other data for any address in Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA

C-

115%

Total crime NAT. AVG.

62%

Violent crime NAT. AVG.

125%

Property crime NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects the 2023 calendar year and was released from the FBI in September, 2024; this is the most current data available.

Merle Hay crime rates are not available from the FBI's UCR (uniform crime reporting) program, as a result, estimates are displayed in the table above. The crime reporting program from the FBI does cover more than 98% of the larger metropolitan areas, which represents more than 309 million U.S. residents. This data is gathered from more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies which include tribal, state, county, college, university and city levels. However, the FBI does not report crime on a neighborhood level, therefore estimates were used to calculate the Merle Hay crime data. These estimates take into account the overall Des Moines crime rates (violent and property), as well as multiple other factors which include: poverty rates, unemployment rates, income, educational achievement, home prices, rent prices and population density. To view crime rates on a block group level, the Merle Hay crime map below provides a hyper-local overview of all crimes reported throughout Des Moines.
Statistic	Reported_incidents	Merle Hay_{/100k people}	Des Moines_{/100k people}	Iowa_{/100k people}	National_{/100k people}
Total crime	8,504	4,911 (estimate)	4,056	1,721	2,281
Murder	9	n/a	4.3	2.5	5.7
Rape	145	n/a	69.2	41.3	38.0
Robbery	190	n/a	90.6	22.3	66.5
Assault	1,138	n/a	542.8	213.9	264.1
Violent crime	1,482	591 (estimate)	707	280	364
Burglary	946	n/a	451.2	218.6	250.7
Theft	4,762	n/a	2,271.3	1,056.8	1,347.2
Vehicle theft	1,314	n/a	626.7	165.2	318.7
Property crime	7,022	4,320 (estimate)	3,349	1,441	1,917

Merle Hay crime map

The Merle Hay crime map provides a detailed overview of all crimes in Merle Hay as reported by the local law enforcement agencies. Based on the color coded legend above, the crime map outlines the areas with lower crime compared to the areas with higher crime. The Merle Hay crime heat map offers insight into the total crimes on a block group level. Please note that the red areas on the Merle Hay crime map does not always indicate that it is a dangerous area for its residents. Areas on the heat map could be inflated if they are located in high traffic areas like airports, sports centers or large parks. Other areas on the heat map could see increased crime rates if they are located in major tourist areas like the downtown core.

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Crime Quick Facts

Merle Hay crime rates are 115% higher than the national average
Violent crimes in Merle Hay are 62% higher than the national average
In Merle Hay you have a 1 in 21 chance of becoming a victim of crime
Merle Hay is safer than 66% of the cities in Iowa
Year over year crime in Des Moines has increased by 7%

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Daily Crime In Merle Hay (per 100,000 people)

How Safe is Merle Hay (higher is better)

Chance of Being A Victim of Crime in Merle Hay

The chance of being a victim of violent crime in Merle Hay is 1 in 170

The chance of being a victim of property crime in Merle Hay is 1 in 24

The chance of being a victim of crime in Merle Hay is 1 in 21

Year Over Year Crime In Des Moines (per 100,000 people)

Des Moines police department

Item	Merle Hay	Des Moines	Iowa
Law enforcement employees (officers & civilians)	n/a	500	3,827
Police officers & civilians /1000 residents	n/a	n/a	1.8

Sex offenders in Iowa

State	Total offenders	Iowa_/100K	National_/100K
Iowa	6,040	205	266

There are a total of 6,040 sex offenders in Iowa. This yields a total of 205 sex offenders in Iowa per 100,000 residents which is 23% less than the national average.

Nearby Cities With Low Crime Rates

City	Population	Violent crime_{/100k people}	Property crime_{/100k people}	Total crime_{/100k people}
Van Meter, IA	1,386	63	0	63
Granger, IA	1,890	39	202	242
Polk City, IA	4,797	64	366	429
Saylorville, IA	2,743	73	377	451
Norwalk, IA	11,467	47	417	465
Dallas Center, IA	1,710	76	391	467
Cumming, IA	536	113	582	695
Des Moines, IA	215,408	707	3,349	4,056

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Violent crime_{/100k people}	Property crime_{/100k people}	Total crime_{/100k people}
Tacoma, WA	215,766	1,243	7,356	8,599
Enterprise, NV	214,591	271	1,636	1,907
Modesto, CA	214,485	647	2,229	2,876
San Bernardino, CA	216,784	1,071	3,223	4,294
Fontana, CA	212,704	281	1,365	1,646
Des Moines, IA	215,408	707	3,349	4,056

Source: The Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA crime data displayed above is derived from the FBI's uniform crime reports for the year of 2023. The crime report encompasses more than 18,000 city and state law enforcement agencies reporting data on property and violent crimes. The uniform crime reports program represents approximately 309 million American residents, which results in 98% coverage of metropolitan statistical areas.

Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA Crime Rates