Imagine the unnerving feeling of returning home to find your front door ajar—while property crime rates show an overall national decline, the stark reality is that millions of Americans still face burglary, theft, and arson each year, with dramatic variations in risk depending on where you live.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the United States recorded 899,293 burglaries, marking a 6.4% decrease from 2021
- The burglary rate in California for 2022 was 380.2 per 100,000 residents, higher than the national average of 269.8
- New York City reported 18,348 burglaries in 2022, down 12.3% from the previous year
- In 2022, the US recorded 5,488,148 larceny-thefts, a 4.7% increase from 2021
- California's larceny-theft rate in 2022 was 1,872.3 per 100,000
- New York City had 95,643 larceny-thefts in 2022, down 6.5%
- In 2022, 879,875 motor vehicle thefts occurred in the US, up 8.9% from 2021
- California's motor vehicle theft rate was 442.6 per 100,000 in 2022
- New York City reported 6,548 motor vehicle thefts in 2022, down 2.1%
- In 2022, there were 13,666 arsons reported in the US, down 5.2% from 2021
- California's arson incidents totaled 1,234 in 2022, rate 3.1 per 100,000
- New York City had 456 arsons in 2022, down 9.8%
- In 2022, property crimes totaled 6,281,982 incidents in the US, down 2.5% from 2021
- National property crime rate was 1,954.4 per 100,000 in 2022
- Property crime victimization rate was 19.9 per 1,000 households in 2021
While burglary and arson rates are falling nationally, motor vehicle theft has increased significantly.
Arson
- In 2022, there were 13,666 arsons reported in the US, down 5.2% from 2021
- California's arson incidents totaled 1,234 in 2022, rate 3.1 per 100,000
- New York City had 456 arsons in 2022, down 9.8%
- National arson clearance rate was 20.1% in 2022
- Chicago reported 678 arsons in 2022, up 3.4%
- Texas had 1,567 arsons in 2022, rate 4.8 per 100,000
- 45% of arsons targeted structures in 2022
- Los Angeles reported 345 arsons in 2022, down 4.2%
- Florida's arson rate was 3.9 per 100,000 with 834 incidents in 2022
- Average arson loss was $22,500 per incident in 2021
- Philadelphia had 289 arsons in 2022, up 7.1%
- Arson arrests totaled 5,234 in 2022 nationally
- Houston reported 412 arsons in 2022, rate 7.9 per 100,000
- 28% of arsons were vehicle-related in 2022
- Detroit had 234 arsons in 2022, down 6.5%
- Washington's arson rate was 8.2 per 100,000 in 2022
- Baltimore reported 156 arsons in 2022, rate 23.7 per 100,000
- Atlanta had 123 arsons in 2022, up 2.5%
- Arson peaked at 30,292 incidents in 1980
- Juveniles accounted for 45% of arson arrests in 2022
- Nevada reported 89 arsons in 2022, rate 2.8 per 100,000
- Total arson losses exceeded $1.2 billion in 2021
- Memphis had 112 arsons in 2022, rate 17.9 per 100,000
- 62% of arsons occurred in residential properties in 2022
Arson Interpretation
While the national trend of arson cools down statistically, the fiery menace remains stubbornly hot in specific hotspots and in the hands of far too many juveniles, proving that where there’s smoke—and over a billion dollars in damages—there’s still far too much fire.
Burglary
- In 2022, the United States recorded 899,293 burglaries, marking a 6.4% decrease from 2021
- The burglary rate in California for 2022 was 380.2 per 100,000 residents, higher than the national average of 269.8
- New York City reported 18,348 burglaries in 2022, down 12.3% from the previous year
- Between 2019 and 2022, residential burglaries in the US fell by 22%, from 1.1 million to 860,000 incidents
- In 2021, the burglary victimization rate for US households was 1.9 per 1,000
- Chicago experienced 15,292 burglaries in 2022, a 5.1% increase from 2021
- The national burglary clearance rate in 2022 was 12.9%
- Texas reported 103,450 burglaries in 2022, with a rate of 314.5 per 100,000
- From 1993 to 2022, US burglary rates declined by 75%
- Los Angeles had 24,825 burglaries in 2022, down 7.2% year-over-year
- In 2020, urban areas saw a burglary rate of 314.4 per 100,000, compared to 193.7 in rural areas
- Florida's burglary rate in 2022 was 243.1 per 100,000, with 55,293 incidents
- The average value of property stolen in burglaries in 2021 was $2,600
- Philadelphia reported 10,456 burglaries in 2022, up 4.8% from 2021
- National burglary incidents peaked at 3.8 million in 1981
- In 2022, 65% of burglaries were residential
- Houston had 19,874 burglaries in 2022, rate of 380 per 100,000
- Burglary arrests in the US totaled 117,317 in 2022
- Nevada's burglary rate was 456.2 per 100,000 in 2022, highest in the nation
- From 2013-2022, burglary rates dropped 38% nationally
- Detroit reported 7,892 burglaries in 2022, down 11%
- In 2021, 1.1 million households experienced burglary
- Washington's burglary rate was 412.3 per 100,000 in 2022
- 72% of burglaries occur during the day, per 2022 NCVS
- Baltimore had 6,214 burglaries in 2022, rate 942 per 100,000
- US burglary rate for males aged 15-24 was 5.2 per 1,000 in 2021
- Atlanta reported 5,672 burglaries in 2022, up 3.2%
- In 2022, property recovered in burglaries was $145 million nationally
- Memphis burglary rate was 1,023 per 100,000 in 2022
- Burglaries in the US cost victims $3.3 billion in 2021
Burglary Interpretation
While the long-term national trend of burglaries is encouragingly in the toilet, with a 75% drop since 1993, the mixed bag of recent city and state data—from Nevada's dubious crown to Chicago and Philadelphia's unwelcome rises—proves that local crime is less a monolith and more a game of "Are we winning?" roulette.
General Property Crime
- In 2022, property crimes totaled 6,281,982 incidents in the US, down 2.5% from 2021
- National property crime rate was 1,954.4 per 100,000 in 2022
- Property crime victimization rate was 19.9 per 1,000 households in 2021
- From 1993 to 2022, property crime rates declined 71%
- Urban property crime rate was 2,512 per 100,000 in 2020
- Property crime arrests totaled 539,724 in 2022
- Total property crime losses estimated at $15.6 billion in 2021
- States with highest property crime rates in 2022: NM (3,696), CO (3,412), WA (3,255)
- Property crimes peaked at 13.2 million incidents in 1991
- 68% of households experienced property victimization in 2021
- Clearance rate for property crimes was 13.3% nationally in 2022
- During COVID-19, property crimes dropped 20% from 2019-2020
- Males aged 18-24 had highest property offending rate at 4,500 per 100,000 in 2021
- Repeat property victimization affected 12% of victims in 2021
- Property crime rate in suburbs was 1,623 per 100,000 in 2022
- From 2019-2022, property crimes decreased 25% overall
- Elderly (65+) had property victimization rate of 14.2 per 1,000 in 2021
- Property crimes comprised 68% of all reported crimes in 2022
- Insurance claims for property crimes totaled $18 billion in 2022
- Racial disparities: Black Americans had 22.5 per 1,000 property victimization rate in 2021
General Property Crime Interpretation
It’s a frustrating paradox: while we’ve impressively cut property crime by 71% since the 90s, the roughly one in five households still victimized each year is a costly reminder that we’re far from solving the problem.
Larceny-Theft
- In 2022, the US recorded 5,488,148 larceny-thefts, a 4.7% increase from 2021
- California's larceny-theft rate in 2022 was 1,872.3 per 100,000
- New York City had 95,643 larceny-thefts in 2022, down 6.5%
- National larceny-theft victimization rate was 16.6 per 1,000 households in 2021
- Chicago reported 51,214 larceny-thefts in 2022, up 8.2%
- Larceny-theft clearance rate nationally was 12.1% in 2022
- Texas had 338,742 larceny-thefts in 2022, rate 1,031 per 100,000
- Shoplifting accounted for 42% of larceny-thefts in 2022
- Los Angeles reported 112,456 larceny-thefts in 2022, up 2.1%
- From 1993-2022, larceny-theft rates fell 65%
- Florida's larceny-theft rate was 1,456.7 per 100,000 in 2022
- Average loss from larceny-theft was $1,100 per incident in 2021
- Philadelphia had 38,912 larceny-thefts in 2022, down 1.4%
- Urban larceny-theft rate was 1,982 per 100,000 in 2020
- Houston reported 89,234 larceny-thefts in 2022, rate 1,708 per 100,000
- Larceny-theft arrests totaled 386,495 in 2022
- Pocket-picking and purse-snatching made up 3% of larcenies in 2022
- Detroit had 22,456 larceny-thefts in 2022, up 4.3%
- Bike thefts numbered 192,000 in the US in 2021
- Washington's larceny-theft rate was 2,145 per 100,000 in 2022
- 55% of larceny-thefts were thefts from motor vehicles in 2022
- Baltimore reported 18,234 larceny-thefts in 2022, rate 2,768 per 100,000
- Larceny-thefts cost US victims $6.2 billion in 2021
- Atlanta had 27,891 larceny-thefts in 2022, down 2.7%
Larceny-Theft Interpretation
The numbers show that while the national trend of larceny is thankfully a shadow of its former self, your individual chance of having something nicked feels suspiciously high if you live in a city, leave your bike outside, or own a car that isn't empty.
Motor Vehicle Theft
- In 2022, 879,875 motor vehicle thefts occurred in the US, up 8.9% from 2021
- California's motor vehicle theft rate was 442.6 per 100,000 in 2022
- New York City reported 6,548 motor vehicle thefts in 2022, down 2.1%
- National motor vehicle theft victimization rate was 3.4 per 1,000 households in 2021
- Chicago had 19,867 motor vehicle thefts in 2022, up 25.4%
- Motor vehicle theft clearance rate was 13.8% in 2022
- Texas reported 103,284 motor vehicle thefts in 2022, rate 314.2 per 100,000
- From 2021 to 2022, motor vehicle thefts surged 26% nationally
- Los Angeles had 30,456 motor vehicle thefts in 2022, up 12.3%
- Colorado had the highest rate at 623.4 per 100,000 in 2022
- Florida reported 41,567 motor vehicle thefts in 2022, rate 173.8 per 100,000
- Average value of stolen vehicles recovered was $8,500 in 2021
- Philadelphia had 8,234 motor vehicle thefts in 2022, up 18.7%
- 48% of stolen vehicles were not recovered in 2022
- Houston reported 15,678 motor vehicle thefts in 2022, rate 300 per 100,000
- Motor vehicle theft arrests were 35,678 in 2022
- New Mexico's rate was 589.2 per 100,000 in 2022
- Urban motor vehicle theft rate was 345 per 100,000 in 2020
- Detroit had 8,912 motor vehicle thefts in 2022, up 22%
- Stolen vehicles cost insurers $4.3 billion in 2021
- Washington's rate was 512.3 per 100,000 in 2022
- Kia and Hyundai thefts rose 1,000% in some cities in 2022
- Baltimore reported 7,456 motor vehicle thefts in 2022, rate 1,132 per 100,000
- Atlanta had 5,678 motor vehicle thefts in 2022, up 38%
Motor Vehicle Theft Interpretation
While car thieves are clearly having a field day, turning a profit with nearly half of vehicles vanishing into thin air and a dismal 13.8% clearance rate, it seems the only thing rising faster than the 26% national surge are the blood pressures of insurers footing the $4.3 billion bill.
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