Report Shows The Nation’s ‘Hot Spots’ For Car Thefts Are Getting Even Hotter

Though auto thefts rose rather dramatically during the pandemic—they jumped by 17% in 2020 and 2021—the most recent statistics from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), show they’re finally beginning to settle back down somewhat, though they’re still spiking in several parts of the country.

Overall, U.S. drivers were subjected to 1,001,967 vehicle thefts last year, which is up from 937,976 in 2021, and amounts to around two stolen every minute. The good news here is that car crimes have dropped significantly in several states, including Oklahoma, Kansas, South Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana, Montana, Utah, Alabama, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa and West Virginia.

On the down side, steep increases in vehicle thefts were reported in California, Texas, Washington, Florida and Colorado, which combined accounted for 44% of all vehicles stolen in 2022. That’s according to the NICB’s latest “Hot Spots” report, that also shows Pueblo, CO topping the list of U.S. metropolitan areas at 1,086 reported per 100,000 residents.

By contrast, the only metro area of the top 396 studied that reported zero car thefts last year was the Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina area of Hawaii.

“Vehicle thefts increased to near-record highs in the United States last year, and unfortunately, current trends indicate total thefts this year may surpass 2022,” says NICB President and CEO David J. Glawe. “With little deterrent to stop these criminal actors, law enforcement agencies and communities will continue to suffer.”

We’re including lists of the 15 states and individual U.S. metro areas that suffered the highest vehicle theft rates during 2022 below.

The NICB compiled them based on information provided by the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) for each of the nation’s metropolitan statistical areas, which are officially defined as being urban areas with a population of at least 50,000 residents connected by applicable social and economic factors. States and urban areas are ranked according to the number of thefts per 100,000 residents, so the data can be compared with less-populated regions like Sioux Falls, SD with larger regions like Seattle, WA.

And as has been the case for the last several years, it’s not necessarily the costliest luxury rides and flashiest sports cars that tend to be the biggest victims in this regard. The NICB says the most stolen cars tend to be rather ordinary rides that might otherwise blend into a crowded parking lot. Pickup trucks continue to be the most popular vehicles among criminals, accounting for over 25% of all vehicles stolen during 2022.

Generally, older high-volume vehicles are taken more often than newer luxury vehicles and sports cars because they’re worth more than the sum of their parts, so to speak. They’re typically driven off, or even towed away to a “chop shop” where they’re dismantled into components that can be passed off to unscrupulous vendors and sold to repair shops and consumers, often via the Internet.

Of particular interest to crooks in recent years is a car’s catalytic converter (a key anti-emissions component), which alone can command as much as $250 or more for the precious metals used to make it work, includingplatinum, palladium, and rhodium.

The NICB cautions consumers to either keep their vehicles locked in their own garages at home or in a brightly lit and well-populated spot when out in public, preferably one that’s staffed by security. It also pays to install an anti-theft device, especially one that protects the aforementioned catalytic converter.

And though this may seem obvious, always lock the car and take the keys, no matter for how short a period it may take to pay for gas or run into the post office. The NICB says this level of neglect accounted for 11% of all vehicle thefts reported in the U.S. during 2021.

On the plus side, the NICB reports that 85% of all stolen cars, trucks, and SUVs last year were eventually recovered by law enforcement, with 34% of the vehicles recovered being located on the same day as the theft, and 45% recovered within two days of being reported. That makes reporting a vehicle theft to the police in a timely manner essential to its being returned to an owner; it also provides a tangible record of the incident for insurance purposes in the event it remains at large or is found with substantial damage.

In the meantime, take heed, especially if you live in one of the NICB’s designated “Hot Spots” for vehicle theft:

U.S. States With the Highest Theft Rates Per 100,000 Residents