2021 Property Crime by State

We’re taking a closer look at the property crime rates for every state—specifically burglary, larceny theft, and motor vehicle theft as reported by the FBI.^1,2

We ranked each state based on its overall property crime rate to find the places where your stuff is less likely to get swiped.

DC reported 4,367 property crimes per 100,000 people compared to the national average of 2,110 per 100k—meaning DC’s property crime rate is more than double the national property crime rate. DC also has the highest larceny theft rate (once again, double the national average).

Nationwide, the FBI reported a 4.6% decrease in property crime. But Idaho stands out for having the most improved property crime rate, with a 16.6% decrease year over year. Idaho also featured the lowest larceny theft rate (tied with Massachusetts) and had the fifth-lowest motor vehicle theft rate.

Out of all the states (excluding DC), Louisiana has the highest property crime rate at 3,162 per 100k, due largely to its high larceny theft rate. Louisiana was also in the top five for burglary. Fortunately, Louisiana saw a property crime rate decrease of 3.5% year over year.

Massachusetts has the lowest property crime rate out of any state with 1,180 crimes per 100k people and saw a 6.6% decrease in property crime year over year. Massachustetts and Idaho tied for the lowest amount of larceny theft. The Old Colony state also ranked fifth-lowest for burglary and the sixth-lowest for motor vehicle theft.

Using the FBI’s most recent crime reports, we compared all 50 states and Washington, DC.

We analyzed the rates of larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft in every state on a per 100,000 person basis.

• Larceny is the unlawful taking of property from the possession of another.
• Burglary involves the unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft
• Motor Vehicle Theft involves any self-propelled vehicle that runs on land surfaces and not on rails, like cars, trucks, RVs, etc.

We then compared those rates to the year prior to determine whether property crime had increased or decreased year over year.

Sources