The number
of U.S. motor vehicle thefts decreased by 1.9 percent from 2003 to
2004, the first decrease since 1999. In 2003, the value of stolen motor
vehicles was $7.6 billion, down from $8.6 billion in 2003. The average
value of a motor vehicle reported stolen in 2004 was $6,143, compared
with $6,797 in 2003. This decrease in auto theft was the first
since 1999 after five straight years of increasing auto theft.
Every
26 seconds, a motor vehicle is stolen in the United States. The odds of
a vehicle being stolen were 1 in 190 in 2003 (latest data available).
The odds are highest in urban areas. According to a National
Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) study released in August 2005, seven of
the top 10 U.S. metropolitan areas for vehicle theft in 2004 are in
California, as shown below:
| Rank |
Metropolitan statistical Area |
Vechicles stolen |
Rate (1) |
1 |
Modesto, CA |
7,024 |
1,571.38 |
2 |
Stockton-Lodi, CA |
8,163 |
1,448.37 |
3 |
Las Vegas, NV |
19,794 |
1,266.18 |
4 |
Phoenix-Mesa, AZ |
40,371 |
1,241.47 |
5 |
Sacramento, CA |
18,747 |
1,151.40 |
6 |
Oakland, CA |
24,855 |
1,038.85 |
7 |
Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, CA |
3,800 |
1,032.55 |
8 |
San Diego, CA |
27,396 |
973.62 |
9 |
Fresno, CA |
8,770 |
950.66 |
10 |
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA |
22,807 |
944.54 |
(1) Ranked by the rate of vehicle thefts reported per 100,000 people based on the 2000 Census.
Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau. |
Additional 2004 data:
- U.S. motor vehicle thefts fell 1.9 percent in 2004 from
2003, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports. In 2004, 1,237,114
motor vehicles were reported stolen.
- The West was the only region with an increase in motor
vehicle thefts from 2003 to 2004, up 3.2 percent. Thefts fell 9.7
percent in the Northeast, 4.4 percent in the Midwest and 2.9 percent in
the South.
- Nationwide, the 2004 motor vehicle theft rate per 100,000
people was 421.3, down 2.9 percent from 433.7 in 2003. The highest rate
was reported in the West, 664.5, up 1.7 percent, the only region
registering an increase. The rate of motor vehicles stolen was 397.8 in
the South, down 4.2 percent from 2003; 341.6 in the Midwest, down 4.8
percent; and 262.5 in the Northeast, down 9.9 percent.
- Only 13.0 percent of thefts were cleared by arrests in 2004.
- Carjackings occur most frequently in urban areas. They account for only 3.0 percent of all motor vehicle thefts.
- The average comprehensive car insurance premium in the U.S. rose 11.2 percent from 1999 to 2003, the most recent data available.
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