Crime & Safety in Waterloo, IA
Violent and property crime rates, clearance data, and trends — 2024 Data
Crime Overview
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024)Violent Crime Rate
4.76
per 1,000 residents
+6% vs national
Property Crime Rate
24.45
per 1,000 residents
+13% vs national
Total Crimes
1,939
2024
Violent Clearance
58%
cases solved
+37% vs national
Property Clearance
23%
cases solved
vs Similar Cities
+42%
vs 50K-100K avg
+42% vs 50K-100K
YoY Change
-17.3%
violent crime rate
improving vs 2023
How Waterloo Compares
Source: FBI (2024)Waterloo vs Similar Cities
Source: FBI (2024)Compared to cities with 50,000 - 100,000 residents. Waterloo 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: FBICrime Composition
Source: FBI (2024)Violent Crime Breakdown
Property Crime Breakdown
Crime Clearance (Solve) Rates
Source: FBI (2024)Waterloo police solve 100% of murder cases but only 18% 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 Type | Category | Count | Rate per 1K | Clearance % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murder | Violent | 3 | 0.05 | 100.0% |
| Rape | Violent | 26 | 0.39 | 34.6% |
| Robbery | Violent | 23 | 0.35 | 52.2% |
| Aggravated Assault | Violent | 264 | 3.98 | 60.6% |
| Burglary | Property | 389 | 5.86 | 18.0% |
| Larceny/Theft | Property | 1,101 | 16.59 | 25.6% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | Property | 133 | 2.00 | 21.1% |
Waterloo, IA reported 316 violent crimes and 1,623 property crimes in 2024. The violent crime rate of 4.76 per 1,000 residents is 6.2% above the national average of 4.48 per 1,000. Law enforcement cleared 58% of violent crimes. Larceny/theft accounts for 1,101 of the property crime reports. Firearms were involved in 23.1% of aggravated assaults. Compared to similarly sized cities (50,000 - 100,000 population), Waterloo's violent crime rate is 42% higher. Violent crime has been trending downward.
Crime History
Source: FBI| Year | Violent | Property | Violent Rate | Property Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 316 | 1,623 | 4.76 | 24.45 |
| 2023 | 381 | 1,384 | 5.75 | 20.90 |
| 2022 | 383 | 1,666 | 5.76 | 25.05 |
| 2021 | 362 | 1,762 | 5.39 | 26.23 |
| 2020 | 428 | 1,769 | 6.37 | 26.32 |
| 2019 | 306 | 1,682 | 4.52 | 24.84 |
| 2018 | 330 | 1,846 | 4.89 | 27.36 |
| 2017 | 352 | 1,957 | 5.19 | 28.84 |
| 2016 | 507 | 2,126 | 7.40 | 31.05 |
| 2015 | 665 | 2,323 | 9.73 | 33.98 |