A burglary happens in the United States every 30 seconds, according to the FBI’s most recent crime statistics. That means that more than 3,000 burglaries are carried out each day.
While the number may seem high, the FBI’s statistics for 2019 (the most recent available) indicate a decrease in the burglary rate. In 2018, burglaries occurred about every 26 seconds.
The FBI defines burglary as “the unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft.” It is the second most prevalent property crime, behind larceny or theft. FBI data shows that burglary is more likely to happen in the daytime than at night.
Your chances of being a burglary victim vary by location. The highest rate of burglaries for 2019 was in Vallejo, California. Rounding out the top five are Hot Springs, Arkansas; Alexandria, Louisiana; Lake Charles, Louisiana; and Jonesboro, Arkansas.
California and Ohio are the states with the most municipalities (six each) on the list of the 50 places with the highest burglary risk we used as finalists for our top city. Arkansas and Oklahoma had five apiece, while Louisiana and South Carolina had four each.
To determine the American city with the most burglaries, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed property crime data from the FBI’s 2019 Uniform Crime Report. We ranked cities based on the number of property crimes reported per 100,000 residents. We considered all cities, towns, villages and Census-designated places home to at least 20,000 people in our analysis. Alabama and Hawaii did not have sufficient crime data at the city level and were excluded from our analysis. Data on poverty rates came from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and are five-year averages for 2019.
Vallejo, California, is the American city with the most burglaries. Here is data about the city:
> Burglaries in 2019: 2,355 per 100,000 people (total: 2,888)
> Share of total burglaries in California: 1.9% of 121,489
> Poverty rate in 2019: 12.6% (779 out of 1,892 cities)
> Median household income in 2019: $69,405 (668 out of 1,892 cities)
> Unemployment rate in 2019: 4.2% (338 out of 1,892 cities)
Click here to see which American cities have the most burglaries.
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