It’s inconvenient and frustrating when a thief takes off with your new bike or a burglar finds a weak spot in your side entrance and steals your high-def TV. Unfortunately, according to reported crime totals, property crimes like these are the #1 most reported crimes in the U.S.—by far. In fact, in 2015-2016, there were 7,919,035 reported instances of property crimes, nearly half of the country’s total reported crimes of 18,499,916.
With that in mind, as 2017 comes to a close, the team at Your Local Security (YLS) dug into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) most recent data set from all law enforcement agencies in the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program to determine the top 10 states for most and least reported property crime in America.
What is Property Crime?
According to the FBI, property crime is any offense that involves the taking of money or property without force or threat of force against the victims. These crimes include burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft.
In order to fairly administer justice, the FBI abides by these agreed upon definitions for property crimes committed in the United States:
- Burglary: The unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft. According to the FBI, something can classify as a burglary even if there was no use of force to gain entry.
- Motor Vehicle Theft: The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle. A motor vehicle is a self-propelled vehicle that runs on land surfaces and not on rails.
- Larceny-theft: The unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another, such as pocket-picking, shoplifting, bicycle theft, etc.
The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program records data from law enforcement on cases of reported violent crime and property crime. At YLS, we took a peek at the property crime data and broke it down so you can see, at a glance, if your state—or a neighboring one!—makes the list.
Most Reported Property Crimes in America
Top 10 States With the Most Reported Property Crimes:
- District of Columbia: 4,802.9
- New Mexico: 3,937.1
- Washington: 3,494.1
- Alaska: 3,353.0
- Louisiana: 3,297.7
- Arkansas: 3,268.6
- South Carolina: 3,243.8
- Georgia: 3,004.5
- Hawaii: 2,992.7
- Oklahoma: 2,982.9
Top 10 States With the Least Reported Property Crimes:
- Puerto Rico: 1,031.9
- New Hampshire: 1,512.9
- New Jersey: 1,544.6
- New York: 1,545,6
- Massachusetts: 1,561.1
- Maine: 1,645.7
- Vermont: 1,697.4
- Pennsylvania: 1,742.7
- Idaho: 1,744.2
- Connecticut: 1,808.0
Property Crime Frequency Across America
Now that we’ve distilled the data to show the states with the most and least reported property crimes, here’s a look at where all 50 states rank. This heat map displays the frequency in which each state experiences incidents of property crime.
Safety First
Recognizing the frequency and severity of these crimes may urge you to take steps to help protect your family and home from becoming victims of property crime. Investing in a home security system is one of the most effective ways to safeguard your family and belongings at home. For more information on burglary and tips on keeping your home secure, check out this blog article.
About YourLocalSecurity.com
YourLocalSecurity.com aims to provide the security tools and information needed to build a safer home environment. For media inquiries, please contact media@yourlocalsecurity.com.
Disclaimer: All research and data collected by Your Local Security.
Images copyright: www.yourlocalsecurity.com
