Iowa’s 20 safest cities are being listed by Safewise, a safety and security research council. Several of the top communities are in northwest Iowa. Le Mars came in as the number-seven safest Iowa city, while Spencer placed fourth, Carroll was third and Sioux County communities Orange City ranked second, and its neighbor, Sioux Center, was listed as the safest Iowa city. The ranking is based on the number of reported violent crimes, as well as the number of property crimes compared to the community’s population. The top 20 Iowa safest cities don’t just include mid-size cities, but large cities as well. Ames, Ankeny, Mason City and Cedar Falls all made the list, as did suburban cities of Johnston, Urbandale, Altoona and West Des Moines. Here is the list of Iowa’s safest cities:

#20 West Des Moines
#19 Ankeny
#18 Marion
#17 Anamosa
#16 Altoona
#15 Fairfield
#14 Ames
#13 Cedar Falls
#12 Norwalk
#11 Urbandale
#10 Decorah
# 9 Mason City
# 8 Johnston
# 7 Le Mars
# 6 Pella
# 5 Eldridge
# 4 Spencer
# 3 Carroll
# 2 Orange City
# 1 Sioux Center

(Radio Iowa)