Crime & Safety in Council Bluffs, IA

Violent and property crime rates, clearance data, and trends — 2024 Data

Crime Overview

Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024)

Violent Crime Rate

4.21

per 1,000 residents

-6% vs national

Property Crime Rate

24.52

per 1,000 residents

+13% vs national

Total Crimes

1,789

2024

Violent Clearance

48%

cases solved

+13% vs national

Property Clearance

15%

cases solved

vs Similar Cities

+25%

vs 50K-100K avg

+25% vs 50K-100K

YoY Change

-6.8%

violent crime rate

improving vs 2023

How Council Bluffs Compares

Source: FBI (2024)

Council Bluffs vs Similar Cities

Source: FBI (2024)

Compared to cities with 50,000 - 100,000 residents. Council Bluffs is highlighted in green.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

Murder Rate (per 1,000)

Violent Crime Clearance Rate

Crime Rate Trends

Source: FBI
Violent 63.6%Property 57.1%20152024

Crime Composition

Source: FBI (2024)

Violent Crime Breakdown

Property Crime Breakdown

Crime Clearance (Solve) Rates

Source: FBI (2024)

Council Bluffs police solve 55% of aggravated assault cases but only 9% of burglary cases. The national violent crime clearance rate is 42%.

Weapon Used in Violent Crime

Source: FBI (2024)

Crime Breakdown

Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024)
Crime TypeCategoryCountRate per 1KClearance %
MurderViolent20.0350.0%
RapeViolent450.7233.3%
RobberyViolent440.7134.1%
Aggravated AssaultViolent1712.7555.0%
BurglaryProperty3034.879.2%
Larceny/TheftProperty1,01816.3516.2%
Motor Vehicle TheftProperty2063.3118.9%

Council Bluffs, IA reported 262 violent crimes and 1,527 property crimes in 2024. The violent crime rate of 4.21 per 1,000 residents is 6.1% below the national average of 4.48 per 1,000. Law enforcement cleared 48% of violent crimes. Larceny/theft accounts for 1,018 of the property crime reports. Firearms were involved in 15.2% of aggravated assaults. Compared to similarly sized cities (50,000 - 100,000 population), Council Bluffs's violent crime rate is 25% higher. Violent crime has been trending downward.

Crime History

Source: FBI
YearViolentPropertyViolent RateProperty Rate
20242621,5274.2124.52
20232811,9074.5230.65
20222631,8674.2330.01
20212242,1273.6034.20
20205742,9769.2447.89
20194933,6497.9058.45
20181432,4922.3039.99
20171583,7282.5359.60
20161503,8662.3961.72
20151603,5532.5757.11