First, the good news. Motor vehicle theft has dropped significantly in the United States since the early ‘90s. In fact, it's nearly three times less common today than it was in 1993.
Now, the bad news. Car theft remains a big problem in some regions of the country.
At FindTheHome, a real estate data site that's part of the Graphiq network, we set out to compare vehicle theft rates around America. We turned to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reports to analyze the data. In the visualization below, we’ve mapped car thefts by county across the United States.
Car theft is lowest in the Northeast, and particularly in New York. While New York has low rates of car ownership in the first place, the New York Police Department also credits better car technology, the decreasing value of older cars and faster photo I.D. tracking as key factors for dropping rates.
Modern “engine immobilizer” technology — adopted by most manufacturers around the turn of the millennium — now prevents thieves from “hot-wiring” vehicles. If they don’t have the key, they can’t start the car.
On the flip side is Southern California, among the worst areas for car theft in the nation. Not only is California packed with vehicles, but it’s also close to Mexico. Some point to illegal sales south of the border as an ongoing incentive for theft.
Some thieves have developed new methods to keep pace with improving technology, including a so-called “power amplifier.” According to the New York Times, a $30 amplifier can connect a key fob to a car, even when the two are some 50 feet away. In theory, a thief could activate the fob in your pocket or purse, even as you shop for an outfit or dine at a restaurant.
That said, California’s worst county for vehicle theft is actually in Northern California. In the following list, we’ve determined the county with the highest rate of car theft in each state. To avoid outlier counties with low sample sizes, we’ve focused only on counties at or above the 50th percentile by population in each state.
Note that the FBI reports city- and county-level car thefts separately, and the two do not overlap. For each county, our data team combined the numbers from the county itself and the cities within the county, then calculated the overall theft rate per 100,000 people. The data comes from 2014, the latest year available.
While we’ve ordered the overall list from lowest to highest vehicle theft rate, the FBI cautions against interpreting a list like this as a definitive ranking.
Disclaimer: The data published here is meant solely to illustrate the relative rates of car theft, and not to make assertions about the effectiveness of law enforcement. There are many factors that affect the rate and nature of crime — such as the degree of urbanization, composition of age groups, economic climate and modes of transportation within an area — which are not considered here.
#50. Vermont: Windham County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 22.7
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 10
Property Crimes per 100K People: 1,284.9
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 566
County Population: 44,050
Major City in County: Brattleboro*
*All numbers are aggregated to the overall county level, but we’ve noted a major city in each county for reference.
#49. Maine: Androscoggin County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 67.9
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 73
Property Crimes per 100K People: 2,062.9
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 2,217
County Population: 107,470
Major City in County: Lewiston
#48. New Hampshire: Hillsborough County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 79
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 318
Property Crimes per 100K People: 2,037.6
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 8,207
County Population: 402,776
Major City in County: Manchester
#47. Delaware: New Castle County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 134.7
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 735
Property Crimes per 100K People: 1,930.8
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 10,539
County Population: 545,846
Major City in County: Wilmington
#46. New York: Erie County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 140.9
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 1,297
Property Crimes per 100K People: 2,616.5
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 24,090
County Population: 920,694
Major City in County: Buffalo
#45. Wyoming: Sweetwater County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 161.5
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 72
Property Crimes per 100K People: 1,838.8
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 820
County Population: 44,595
Major City in County: Rock Springs
#44. West Virginia: Kanawha County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 170.5
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 327
Property Crimes per 100K People: 3,491.3
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 6,695
County Population: 191,765
Major City in County: Charleston
#43. Idaho: Nez Perce County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 216.9
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 86
Property Crimes per 100K People: 3,096.7
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 1,228
County Population: 39,655
Major City in County: Lewiston
#42. South Dakota: Pennington County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 220.9
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 231
Property Crimes per 100K People: 3,062.9
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 3,203
County Population: 104,574
Major City in County: Rapid City
#41. Rhode Island: Providence County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 235
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 1,479
Property Crimes per 100K People: 2,422.9
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 15,247
County Population: 629,280
Major City in County: Providence
#40. Massachusetts: Suffolk County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 237.6
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 1,777
Property Crimes per 100K People: 2,619.4
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 19,591
County Population: 747,928
Major City in County: Boston
#39. Illinois: Cook County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 240.1
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 12,551
Property Crimes per 100K People: 2,445.8
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 127,863
County Population: 5,227,827
Major City in County: Chicago
#38. Arizona: Maricopa County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 249.5
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 9,848
Property Crimes per 100K People: 2,546
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 100,499
County Population: 3,947,382
Major City in County: Phoenix
#37. Connecticut: New Haven County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 258.9
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 2,235
Property Crimes per 100K People: 2,455.8
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 21,197
County Population: 863,148
Major City in County: New Haven
#36. North Carolina: Columbus County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 302.5
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 174
Property Crimes per 100K People: 4,475.6
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 2,574
County Population: 57,512
Major City in County: Whiteville
#35. Kentucky: Jefferson County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 323.5
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 2,431
Property Crimes per 100K People: 4,111.5
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 30,897
County Population: 751,485
Major City in County: Louisville/Jefferson County
#34. Florida: Miami-Dade County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 324.6
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 8,442
Property Crimes per 100K People: 4,007
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 104,216
County Population: 2,600,861
Major City in County: Miami
#33. Virginia: Richmond City
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 347.8
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 734
Property Crimes per 100K People: 3,974.2
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 8,388
County Population: 211,063
Major City in County: Richmond
#32. Utah: Salt Lake County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 349.5
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 3,718
Property Crimes per 100K People: 3,300.7
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 35,109
County Population: 1,063,670
Major City in County: Salt Lake City
#31. Ohio: Cuyahoga County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 351
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 4,449
Property Crimes per 100K People: 2,402.8
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 30,456
County Population: 1,267,513
Major City in County: Cleveland
#30. Alaska: Northwest Arctic Borough
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 351.9
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 27
Property Crimes per 100K People: 1,863.9
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 143
County Population: 7,672
Major City in County: Kotzebue
#29. Hawaii: Maui County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 358.9
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 570
Property Crimes per 100K People: 3,652.1
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 5,800
County Population: 158,814
Major City in County: Kahului
#28. Arkansas: Pulaski County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 361.9
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 1,407
Property Crimes per 100K People: 5,655.5
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 21,986
County Population: 388,752
Major City in County: Little Rock
#27. Pennsylvania: Philadelphia County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 370.3
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 5,728
Property Crimes per 100K People: 3,414.3
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 52,816
County Population: 1,546,920
Major City in County: Philadelphia
#26. Tennessee: Hamilton County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 389.8
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 1,344
Property Crimes per 100K People: 4,295.3
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 14,809
County Population: 344,772
Major City in County: Chattanooga
#25. Montana: Yellowstone County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 417.2
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 634
Property Crimes per 100K People: 3,760.1
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 5,714
County Population: 151,965
Major City in County: Billings
#24. Nevada: Clark County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 427.3
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 8,562
Property Crimes per 100K People: 2,798.9
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 56,080
County Population: 2,003,613
Major City in County: Las Vegas
#23. Mississippi: Hinds County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 481.8
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 1,187
Property Crimes per 100K People: 4,488.1
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 11,057
County Population: 246,364
Major City in County: Jackson
#22. Minnesota: Ramsey County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 487.7
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 2,542
Property Crimes per 100K People: 3,359.9
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 17,514
County Population: 521,265
Major City in County: St. Paul
#21. New Jersey: Essex County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 511
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 4,035
Property Crimes per 100K People: 2,223.1
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 17,554
County Population: 789,616
Major City in County: Newark
#20. South Carolina: Orangeburg County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 511.7
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 467
Property Crimes per 100K People: 3,974.3
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 3,627
County Population: 91,262
Major City in County: Orangeburg
#19. Colorado: Denver County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 541.8
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 3,434
Property Crimes per 100K People: 3,526.8
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 22,352
County Population: 633,777
Major City in County: Denver
#18. Oklahoma: Oklahoma County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 557.5
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 4,143
Property Crimes per 100K People: 4,665.9
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 34,674
County Population: 743,145
Major City in County: Oklahoma City
#17. Oregon: Multnomah County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 563
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 4,264
Property Crimes per 100K People: 5,159.8
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 39,079
County Population: 757,371
Major City in County: Portland
#16. New Mexico: Bernalillo County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 564.2
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 3,788
Property Crimes per 100K People: 4,845.8
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 32,536
County Population: 671,429
Major City in County: Albuquerque
#15. Alabama: Russell County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 570.4
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 325
Property Crimes per 100K People: 4,743.8
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 2,703
County Population: 56,980
Major City in County: Phenix City
#14. Indiana: Marion County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 576.7
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 5,302
Property Crimes per 100K People: 4,638
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 42,639
County Population: 919,336
Major City in County: Indianapolis
#13. Iowa: Pottawattamie County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 584
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 544
Property Crimes per 100K People: 5,058.3
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 4,712
County Population: 93,153
Major City in County: Council Bluffs
#12. Nebraska: Douglas County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 614.1
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 3,261
Property Crimes per 100K People: 3,839.9
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 20,392
County Population: 531,057
Major City in County: Omaha
#11. Kansas: Wyandotte County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 632.1
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 1,008
Property Crimes per 100K People: 4,859.3
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 7,749
County Population: 159,466
Major City in County: Kansas City
#10. Washington: Spokane County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 652.1
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 3,110
Property Crimes per 100K People: 5,823.9
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 27,777
County Population: 476,950
Major City in County: Spokane
#9. Georgia: Fulton County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 670.3
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 6,482
Property Crimes per 100K People: 4,877.4
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 47,169
County Population: 967,100
Major City in County: Atlanta
#8. Texas: Potter County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 706.3
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 862
Property Crimes per 100K People: 7,784.3
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 9,501
County Population: 122,053
Major City in County: Amarillo
#7. Michigan: Wayne County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 709
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 12,691
Property Crimes per 100K People: 3,080.3
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 55,139
County Population: 1,790,078
Major City in County: Detroit
#6. Louisiana: Orleans Parish
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 709.7
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 2,615
Property Crimes per 100K People: 4,445.9
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 16,382
County Population: 368,471
Major City in County: New Orleans
#5. Maryland: Baltimore City
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 720.9
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 4,486
Property Crimes per 100K People: 4,727.8
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 29,420
County Population: 622,271
Major City in County: Baltimore
Note that Baltimore City is also classified as a county.
#4. Wisconsin: Milwaukee County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 760.2
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 7,248
Property Crimes per 100K People: 4,022.7
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 38,352
County Population: 953,401
Major City in County: Milwaukee
#3. California: Alameda County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 777.5
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 12,123
Property Crimes per 100K People: 3,480.5
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 54,272
County Population: 1,559,308
Major City in County: Oakland
#2. Missouri: St. Louis City
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 1018.7
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 3,247
Property Crimes per 100K People: 6,249.6
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 19,919
County Population: 318,727
Major City in County: St. Louis
#1. North Dakota: Williams County
Vehicle Thefts per 100K People: 1097.3
Total Vehicle Thefts in 2014: 297
Property Crimes per 100K People: 5,952.1
Total Property Crimes in 2014: 1,611
County Population: 27,066
Major City in County: Williston
Posted on April 3, 2016 by Ben Taylor
