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Car Theft Climbs

Hot spots ranked, though some states see decline in the crime.

November 28, 2023
Car Theft Climbs

About two vehicles were stolen per minute last year for a total of more than a million, up from just under 938,000 in 2021.

IMAGE: Pexels/Erik McIean

1 min to read


Vehicle theft is surging in pockets of the U.S. as it declines in others, and U.S. thefts were up in general last year, a new report shows.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau’s “Hot Spots” report ranks Colorado as the state with the highest rate of vehicle thefts. It said thefts there jumped 11% year-over-year to more than 42,700 in 2022. In fact, three of Colorado’s metropolitan areas were among the 10 U.S. regions with the highest theft rates per 100,000 population.

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Meanwhile, California led in total vehicle thefts at just over 203,000 last year. The other top five states – whose combined vehicle thefts made up 44% of all U.S. thefts – were Texas, Washington, Florida and Colorado, in that order.

The bureau, a nonprofit insurance industry group whose stated mission is to prevent and fight insurance crimes, said that about two vehicle were stolen per minute last year for a total of more than a million, up from just under 938,000 in 2021.

Still, some states’ vehicle theft rates declined, the bureau said: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

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Originally posted on Auto Dealer Today

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