Iowa Sex Offender Statistics (2026)
As of August 2026, we index about 7,170 sex-offender registry records in Iowa — the 30th-most of the 56 US jurisdictions, at 2.2 per 1,000 residents. These are counts of the records in our continuously updated index, rounded and dated — not Iowa’s official figures.
Iowa against the national average
Registrants we index, with the rate per 1,000 residents (2020 Census population). Neighboring jurisdictions are listed for scale; each links to its own statistics page.
| Jurisdiction | Registrants indexed (approx.) | Per 1,000 residents | Rank by count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | ≈ 7,170 | 2.2 | 30th |
| United States (all 58 registries) | ≈ 1,560,000 | 4.7 | — |
| Illinois | ≈ 44,300 | 3.5 | 4th |
| Minnesota | ≈ 1,480 | 0.3 | 50th |
| Missouri | ≈ 21,500 | 3.5 | 14th |
| Nebraska | ≈ 7,240 | 3.7 | 29th |
| South Dakota | ≈ 4,140 | 4.7 | 38th |
| Wisconsin | ≈ 27,400 | 4.6 | 11th |
Cite this: ≈7,170 sex-offender registry records indexed in Iowa (2.2 per 1,000 residents) — Offendersearch, Iowa Sex Offender Statistics (August 2026). https://offendersearch.app/sex-offender-statistics/iowa#headline
Iowa at a glance
- About 7,170 registry records indexed, the 30th-largest count of the 56 US jurisdictions.
- That is under 1% of the registrants we index nationwide.
- 2.2 per 1,000 residents, about 52% below the national average of 4.7.
- 29th by rate per resident among jurisdictions with at least 1,000 indexed records.
- Largest local count among the cities we publish pages for: Des Moines, about 908.
- Largest county count among the counties we publish pages for: Polk County, about 1,041.
Against its neighbors
- Iowa is about 35% below Illinois (2.2 vs 3.5 per 1,000).
- Iowa is about 767% above Minnesota (2.2 vs 0.3 per 1,000).
- Iowa is about 36% below Missouri (2.2 vs 3.5 per 1,000).
- Iowa is about 39% below Nebraska (2.2 vs 3.7 per 1,000).
- Iowa is about 52% below South Dakota (2.2 vs 4.7 per 1,000).
- Iowa is about 52% below Wisconsin (2.2 vs 4.6 per 1,000).
Where Iowa ranks
Iowa holds the 30th-largest count of registrants we index among the 56 US jurisdictions — just behind Nebraska (≈7,240) and ahead of Montana (≈6,730). Iowa's rate of 2.2 registrants indexed per 1,000 residents ranks 29th among the US jurisdictions with at least 1,000 indexed records, against a national average of about 4.7 per 1,000. Iowa's rate is higher than 1 of its 6 neighboring jurisdictions in the table and lower than 5. Absolute size and per-capita rate order the states very differently — the full rankings are on the count ranking and the per-capita ranking.
Housing status (national estimate). No per-state housing figure is published here, because our housing data is a national sample estimate: across 6,668 sampled records nationwide, 5.7% of registrants with a known housing status were homeless or had no fixed address as of August 2026. That figure describes the country, not Iowa — the breakdown is on the national statistics page.
Where Iowa’s registrants live
The largest local counts among the Iowa cities and counties we publish pages for, with the rate per 10,000 residents so places of different size compare fairly.
| City | Indexed | Per 10,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | ≈ 908 | 42.4 |
| Davenport | ≈ 772 | 75.9 |
| Cedar Rapids | ≈ 383 | 27.8 |
| Sioux City | ≈ 375 | 43.7 |
| County | Indexed | Per 10,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Polk County | ≈ 1,041 | 21.1 |
| Scott County | ≈ 562 | 32.2 |
| Linn County | ≈ 435 | 18.9 |
| Woodbury County | ≈ 357 | 33.7 |
What these Iowa numbers measure
Every figure on this page is a count of the registry records in our continuously updated index that carry a Iowa address, rounded to three significant figures and dated to August 2026. Rates divide that rounded count by the 2020 Census population, so they describe scale, not precision to the last person. Local counts cover the cities and counties we publish pages for, not every town in the state.
Registry sizes are not a direct measure of risk. States set their own rules on who must register, for how long, and which registrants are shown to the public, so two states with similar populations can carry very different counts. Use the comparison for context, and a search for any question about a specific person or address.
Iowa's registry publishes a full date of birth, so if you know the person's birthday a match can be confirmed precisely. With a common name, a matching date of birth is the fastest way to tell two people apart.
How to search Iowa’s registry
Iowa’s own public search is Iowa Sex Offender Registry (DPS), which covers Iowa only. A search here covers Iowa and every other US registry in one pass, returns photographs and the official record link for each result, and can be narrowed to a city, county or ZIP — or run outward from a street address.
Iowa registry search guide · Search by address · Alerts when someone moves in
Iowa city figures
Cities where we publish a local count, largest first:
Iowa county figures
Iowa statistics, answered
How many registered sex offenders live in Iowa?
As of August 2026, we index about 7,170 sex-offender registry records in Iowa — the 30th-most of the 56 US jurisdictions. That is a count of the records in our continuously updated index, not Iowa's official figure: registries add, remove and amend records all the time, so the live answer for a specific person comes from a search, not a table.
How many sex offenders does Iowa have per capita?
About 2.2 registrants indexed per 1,000 residents, using the 2020 Census population as the denominator. Iowa's rate of 2.2 registrants indexed per 1,000 residents ranks 29th among the US jurisdictions with at least 1,000 indexed records, against a national average of about 4.7 per 1,000. A rate describes the size of a registry relative to population — jurisdictions differ in who must register, for how long, and which registrants they publish, so it is a scale comparison rather than a safety measure.
Which Iowa city has the most registered sex offenders?
Among the Iowa cities we publish local pages for, Des Moines has the most registrants we index, at about 908, followed by Davenport (about 772). Big cities lead on raw counts because they have more people; the per-10,000 column is the fairer comparison.
Which Iowa county has the most registered sex offenders?
Among the Iowa counties we publish pages for, Polk County has the most registrants we index, at about 1,041. Each county page breaks that figure down by city.
How does Iowa compare with neighboring states?
Iowa's rate is higher than 1 of its 6 neighboring jurisdictions in the table and lower than 5. Rates differ partly because states set different rules for who must register, for how long, and which registrants are shown publicly, so a neighbor comparison describes registry size relative to population rather than relative risk.
Where can I search Iowa's sex offender registry?
Iowa's own public search is Iowa Sex Offender Registry (DPS), which covers Iowa only. A search here covers Iowa and every other US registry at once, with photographs and links to each official record, and can be narrowed to a Iowa city, county or ZIP.
Are these Iowa's official registry numbers?
No — they are approximate counts of the registrants we index for Iowa, rounded to three significant figures and dated to August 2026. Jurisdictions count different things (people, registrations, addresses) and publish on their own terms, so no single official national table exists. For a legal or research purpose that requires Iowa's official figure, request it from the state registry authority.
Registry data is not a consumer report, and decisions made on it are regulated in that use.
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