Is Des Moines safe? United States travel risk
Is Des Moines safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Des Moines scores 36/100 on our travel risk index (Moderate). The UK has no advice against travel; Canada says: exercise normal security precautions. The US State Department does not issue advice for United States. No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Des Moines scores 36/100 (Moderate). The score combines security, crime and scams, health and medical access, natural hazards and current alerts measured for this location and United States (how it is calculated). The sections below are specific to Des Moines: nearest emergency and transport facilities, 5-year natural hazard history within 100 km.
Driven by: security (35/100) and crime and scams (47/100).
A score of 36 is higher than 32% of the cities we score.
Consult the United States travel risk page for nationwide security advisories, entry protocols, and consular warnings.
Local Geographic Profile
Positioned at 41.5725° N, 93.6105° W in Iowa, Des Moines features an altitude of 266 m. The settlement is located 1,437.0 km E from Washington.
Iowa
41.5725° N, 93.6105° W
266 m
America/Chicago
560,170
Emergency & Transport Infrastructure
Surrounding Localities in United States
Natural Hazard Calendar & History
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Droughts | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Most drought events within 100 km of Des Moines happened in October (1 of 1 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the United States travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the United States entry requirements.
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