Although car thefts have been declining for the last 30 years, the rate has risen slightly over the past five years. Research from insurance agency Uswitch reveals which states saw the most and the fewest stolen vehicles in 2020.
The agency’s study reveals that last year there were 246 stolen vehicles across America per 100,000 inhabitants. Compared to 1990, that’s actually pretty good. The rate of thefts for that year was at 657.8 per 100,000 inhabitants, meaning it has fallen significantly over the last 30 years.
However, between 2015 and 2020, the rate rose a little over 10 percent. However, car theft rates vary widely from one state to the next.
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Topping the list of states with the most car thefts per capita is Colorado. It is the leading state by a wide margin, with 524.3 stolen vehicles per 100,000 inhabitants. That’s almost 100 more than the next highest states, New Mexico and California, where 427.6 vehicles are stolen per 100,000 inhabitants. Missouri and Oregon round out the top five with 393.2 and 391, respectively.
While Colorado leads easily, all of the top five are leaps and bounds ahead of the states where the fewest vehicles are stolen. Vermont, the safest state in the country, saw just 42.2 thefts per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020. Maine, New Hampshire, Idaho, and Massachusetts all sneak in at under 100 thefts per 100,000 inhabitants.
Surprisingly, population size doesn’t seem to be the leading factor on this list. Apparently living in the northeast simply makes you safer, with New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania all figuring in the top 10 states with the fewest thefts per capita.
No matter where you live, Uswitch recommends closing all your windows every time you leave your car, parking in a secure location, using a steering lock, not leaving valuables in plain sight, keeping your doors locked, using a tracking device, and ensuring that you don’t keep your keys near the front door of your home to prevent thefts.
