Special Report

Where Your Car Is Most Likely to Be Stolen in Every State

Michael B. Sauter

Published: October 26, 2018 4:21 pm

Last Updated: January 11, 2020 3:47 pm

Motor vehicle theft in the United States in 2017 remained effectively unchanged from 2016, when the rate increased by nearly 7%. Last year, there were 773,139 motor vehicle thefts across the country, a rate of 237.4 per 100,000 residents.

Of course, where you live can greatly increase or decrease the chances of your car getting stolen. 24/7 Wall St. determined the city in every state where your car is most likely to be stolen based on data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

The city with the highest rate of car thefts in a state is not necessarily the city with the poorest community or with the biggest crime problems. The majority of these 50 cities have lower poverty rates, higher education levels, and higher household incomes than their respective statewide figures.

Auto thefts in the United States are often carefully planned, highly lucrative schemes for those who are able to evade capture. According to the NICB, many cars are stolen by large organized crime rings running sizable operations. Often, these rings operate out of certain major cities.

Some cars are also much more likely to be stolen than others. While expensive exotic cars may seem like the most efficient way to a large payout for a criminal, common cars like Honda Accord, Honda Civic, and Chevrolet and Ford pickup trucks are by far the most stolen vehicles in America. This is especially true of older models without modern security features.

In states like New Hampshire, there is only one metropolitan area, so in New Hampshire, for example, the Manchester-Nashua metro area by default has the highest rate of car theft. However, Nashua has a car theft rate of just 62.7 for every 100,000 residents, which is one of the lowest of any metro area. The same goes for Providence, Rhode Island.

Click here to where your car is most likely to be stolen in every state.
Click here to see our methodology.

Alabama
> Metro area with most car thefts: Mobile
> Vehicle theft rate: 485.6 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 2,010
> Most stolen car in Alabama: Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)

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Alaska
> Metro area with most car thefts: Anchorage
> Vehicle theft rate: 816.7 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 3,274
> Most stolen car in Alaska: Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)

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Arizona
> Metro area with most car thefts: Tucson
> Vehicle theft rate: 318.7 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 3,260
> Most stolen car in Arizona: Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)

Arkansas
> Metro area with most car thefts: Little Rock
> Vehicle theft rate: 429.5 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 3,171
> Most stolen car in Arkansas: Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)

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California
> Metro area with most car thefts: Redding
> Vehicle theft rate: 751.4 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 1,352
> Most stolen car in California: Honda Civic

Colorado
> Metro area with most car thefts: Pueblo
> Vehicle theft rate: 812.7 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 1,353
> Most stolen car in Colorado: Ford Pickup (Full Size)

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Connecticut
> Metro area with most car thefts: New Haven
> Vehicle theft rate: 275.6 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 2,371
> Most stolen car in Connecticut: Honda Civic

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Delaware
> Metro area with most car thefts: Dover
> Vehicle theft rate: 100.1 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 177
> Most stolen car in Delaware: Honda Civic

Florida
> Metro area with most car thefts: Miami
> Vehicle theft rate: 343.9 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 21,179
> Most stolen car in Florida: Ford Pickup (Full Size)

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Georgia
> Metro area with most car thefts: Valdosta
> Vehicle theft rate: 350.7 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 510
> Most stolen car in Georgia: Ford Pickup (Full Size)

Hawaii
> Metro area with most car thefts: Honolulu (Urban)
> Vehicle theft rate: 272.8 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 2,697
> Most stolen car in Hawaii: Honda Civic

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Idaho
> Metro area with most car thefts: Pocatello
> Vehicle theft rate: 174.7 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 149
> Most stolen car in Idaho: Ford Pickup (Full Size)

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Illinois
> Metro area with most car thefts: Chicago
> Vehicle theft rate: 254.4 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 24,254
> Most stolen car in Illinois: Dodge Caravan

Indiana
> Metro area with most car thefts: Indianapolis
> Vehicle theft rate: 368.9 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 7,484
> Most stolen car in Indiana: Ford Pickup (Full Size)

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Iowa
> Metro area with most car thefts: Davenport
> Vehicle theft rate: 278.3 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017 : 1,064
> Most stolen car in Iowa: Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)

Kansas
> Metro area with most car thefts: Wichita
> Vehicle theft rate: 491.8 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 3,175
> Most stolen car in Kansas: Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)

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Kentucky
> Metro area with most car thefts: Louisville/Jefferson County
> Vehicle theft rate: 380.2 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 4,920
> Most stolen car in Kentucky: Ford Pickup (Full Size)

Louisiana
> Metro area with most car thefts: New Orleans
> Vehicle theft rate: 335.0 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 4,274
> Most stolen car in Louisiana: Ford Pickup (Full Size)

Maine
> Metro area with most car thefts: Bangor
> Vehicle theft rate: 57.9 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 88
> Most stolen car in Maine: Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)

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Maryland
> Metro area with most car thefts: Baltimore
> Vehicle theft rate: 302.6 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 8,499
> Most stolen car in Maryland: Honda Accord

Massachusetts
> Metro area with most car thefts: Springfield
> Vehicle theft rate: 162.6 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 1,027
> Most stolen car in Massachusetts: Honda Accord

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Michigan
> Metro area with most car thefts: Detroit
> Vehicle theft rate: 301.0 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 12,983
> Most stolen car in Michigan: Chevrolet Impala

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Minnesota
> Metro area with most car thefts: Minneapolis
> Vehicle theft rate: 235.3 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 8,472
> Most stolen car in Minnesota: Honda Civic

Mississippi
> Metro area with most car thefts: Gulfport
> Vehicle theft rate: 297.0 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 1,171
> Most stolen car in Mississippi: Ford Pickup (Full Size)

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Missouri
> Metro area with most car thefts: St. Joseph
> Vehicle theft rate: 750.0 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 952
> Most stolen car in Missouri: Ford Pickup (Full Size)

Montana
> Metro area with most car thefts: Billings
> Vehicle theft rate: 558.4 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 952
> Most stolen car in Montana: Ford Pickup (Full Size)

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Nebraska
> Metro area with most car thefts: Omaha
> Vehicle theft rate: 429.3 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 4,007
> Most stolen car in Nebraska: Honda Civic

Nevada
> Metro area with most car thefts: Las Vegas
> Vehicle theft rate: 482.0 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 10,624
> Most stolen car in Nevada: Honda Civic

New Hampshire
> Metro area with most car thefts: Manchester
> Vehicle theft rate: 62.7 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 257
> Most stolen car in New Hampshire: Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)

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New Jersey
> Metro area with most car thefts: Trenton
> Vehicle theft rate: 203.6 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 763
> Most stolen car in New Jersey: Honda Civic

New Mexico
> Metro area with most car thefts: Albuquerque
> Vehicle theft rate: 1096.8 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 9,989
> Most stolen car in New Mexico: Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)

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New York
> Metro area with most car thefts: Buffalo
> Vehicle theft rate: 124.2 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 1,412
> Most stolen car in New York: Honda Accord

North Carolina
> Metro area with most car thefts: Hickory
> Vehicle theft rate: 249.1 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 913
> Most stolen car in North Carolina: Honda Accord

North Dakota
> Metro area with most car thefts: Bismarck
> Vehicle theft rate: 203.6 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 269
> Most stolen car in North Dakota: Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)

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Ohio
> Metro area with most car thefts: Cleveland
> Vehicle theft rate: 294.8 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 6,070
> Most stolen car in Ohio: Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)

Oklahoma
> Metro area with most car thefts: Tulsa
> Vehicle theft rate: 538.6 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 5,336
> Most stolen car in Oklahoma: Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)

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Oregon
> Metro area with most car thefts: Portland
> Vehicle theft rate: 512.7 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 12,577
> Most stolen car in Oregon: Honda Accord

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Pennsylvania
> Metro area with most car thefts: Philadelphia
> Vehicle theft rate: 175.7 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 10,708
> Most stolen car in Pennsylvania: Honda Accord

Rhode Island
> Metro area with most car thefts: Providence
> Vehicle theft rate: 140.6 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 2,280
> Most stolen car in Rhode Island: Honda Accord

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South Carolina
> Metro area with most car thefts: Columbia
> Vehicle theft rate: 484.3 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 3,996
> Most stolen car in South Carolina: Ford Pickup (Full Size)

South Dakota
> Metro area with most car thefts: Rapid City
> Vehicle theft rate: 252.6 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 371
> Most stolen car in South Dakota: Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)

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Tennessee
> Metro area with most car thefts: Cleveland
> Vehicle theft rate: 378.5 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 463
> Most stolen car in Tennessee: Ford Pickup (Full Size)

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Texas
> Metro area with most car thefts: Lubbock
> Vehicle theft rate: 514.2 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 1,630
> Most stolen car in Texas: Ford Pickup (Full Size)

Utah
> Metro area with most car thefts: Salt Lake City
> Vehicle theft rate: 564.0 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 6,785
> Most stolen car in Utah: Honda Civic

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Vermont
> Metro area with most car thefts: Burlington
> Vehicle theft rate: 72.8 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 159
> Most stolen car in Vermont: Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)

Virginia
> Metro area with most car thefts: Richmond
> Vehicle theft rate: 220.5 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 2,854
> Most stolen car in Virginia: Honda Accord

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Washington
> Metro area with most car thefts: Seattle
> Vehicle theft rate: 494.9 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 19,136
> Most stolen car in Washington: Honda Accord

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West Virginia
> Metro area with most car thefts: Charleston
> Vehicle theft rate: 570.9 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 1,224
> Most stolen car in West Virginia: Ford Pickup (Full Size)

Wisconsin
> Metro area with most car thefts: Milwaukee
> Vehicle theft rate: 413.4 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 6,516
> Most stolen car in Wisconsin: Dodge Caravan

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Wyoming
> Metro area with most car thefts: Cheyenne
> Vehicle theft rate: 223.7 per 100,000 residents
> Total vehicles stolen in 2017: 220
> Most stolen car in Wyoming: Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)

Methodology:

To determine the city in every state where your car is most likely to be stolen, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the vehicle theft rate in each metropolitan statistical area from the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s “2017 Hot Spots Vehicle Theft” report. Total vehicles reported stolen in 2017 in each city also came from this report. The most stolen car in each state is from the NICB’s “2017 Hot Wheels” report.