About 2.5 million burglaries happen annually in the U.S. According to the United States Department of Justice, 50% of these burglaries are forced entry home invasions. While these might seem like frightening numbers, these rates are at a drop when compared to recent years. This is mainly thanks to the advancement and affordability of security systems.
This article used federal data from the Bureau of Justice, the American Society of Criminology, the Pew Research Center, and the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division to show the trends of burglary across the United States.
Table of context:
- Burglary statistics 2019-2022
- Home burglary statistics by year
- Burglary statistics by state
- FAQs about burglaries
- A summary of key insights + statistics
Burglary statistics 2019-2022
The data below is taken from The Chicago Police Department, The New York Police Department, and the FBI’s Preliminary Uniform Crime Report.
According to The New York Police Department (NYPD), there has been a 32.7% increase in burglaries in 2022 when compared to 2021. The NYPD reported that April 2021 had a total of 808 registered burglaries while April 2022 had 1,103 burglaries. An increase of 36.5% only in the month of April.
The Chicago Police Department also shows similar spikes in the number of burglaries between 2021 and 2022. The report revealed that there were 1,691 burglaries in 2021 and 2,278 in 2022. This was a 35% increase. Los Angeles also experienced similar spikes in burglary rates.
The statistics for burglary rates from 2019 to 2021, however, are completely different. The FBI’s Preliminary Uniform Crime Report shows a decline in property crimes between the first six months of 2020 when compared to the first six months of 2019. Between 2020 and 2021, burglary rates also dropped by 12.8%.
Home burglary statistics by year
The following statistics are taken from the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division and the Zebra.
- Burglary made up almost 20% of all property crimes in 2015, 71.4% of which were larceny and theft.
- Burglary rates dropped 1.3% in 2016 when compared to 2015.
- 57% of all 1,401,840 recorded burglaries in 2017 involved forcible entry according to the FBI.
- In 2018, more than 7% of homes fell victim to some form of burglary.
- Burglary rates dropped 3.1% in the first 6 months of 2019 when compared to the first 6 months of 2018.
| Years | Robbery | Property Crime | Burglary | Larceny | Motor vehicle theft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-2016 | +3.2% | -0.6% | -3.4% | -0.8% | +6.6% |
| 2016-2017 | -2.2% | -2.9% | -6.1% | -3.0% | +4.1% |
| 2017-2018 | -12.5% | -7.9% | -12.7% | -6.3% | -3.3% |
| 2018-2019 | -7.4% | -5.6% | -11.1% | -4.2% | -6.7% |
Burglary statistics by state
This information is taken from Statistica, the Zebra, and the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division.
Statistica put together all the burglary rates in all 50 states of the U.S. Their 2021 study concluded that New Mexico had the highest burglary rates for 2020. New Mexico had 648.8 burglaries for every 100,000 residents. Oklahoma stood second place with 613.3 burglaries per 100,000 residents.
A study conducted by the FBI also found that the number of burglaries in 2019 had dropped in all regions of the country when compared to a year prior:
- 13.5% decrease in the Northeast
- 10.3% decrease in the Midwest
- 9.4% in the West
- 8.4% in the South
| State | # per 100,000 people |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 399.5 |
| Alaska | 379.5 |
| Arizona | 330 |
| Arkansas | 523.1 |
| California | 369.7 |
| Colorado | 400.3 |
| Connecticut | 187.1 |
| Delaware | 254.2 |
| Florida | 240.6 |
| Georgia | 290.7 |
| Hawaii | 329.1 |
| Idaho | 204.2 |
| Illinois | 246.6 |
| Indiana | 280.4 |
| Lowa | 371.1 |
| Kansas | 331.4 |
| Kentucky | 344.1 |
| Louisiana | 510.1 |
| Maine | 148.8 |
| Maryland | 252 |
| Massachusetts | 149.7 |
| Michigan | 233.1 |
| Minnesota | 307 |
| Mississippi | 488.3 |
| Missouri | 378.8 |
| Montana | 270.1 |
| Nebraska | 229.9 |
| Nevada | 368.8 |
| New Hampshire | 103.3 |
| New Jersey | 146.2 |
| New Mexico | 648.8 |
| New York | 165.5 |
| North Carolina | 471.2 |
| North Dakota | 417.6 |
| Ohio | 318.8 |
| Oklahoma | 613.3 |
| Oregon | 339.2 |
| Pennsylvania | 248.6 |
| Rhode Island | 166.8 |
| South Carolina | 448 |
| South Dakota | 340.1 |
| Tennessee | 384.5 |
| Texas | 370.7 |
| Utah | 290.6 |
| Vermont | 154.2 |
| Virginia | 133.5 |
| Washington | 522.1 |
| West Virginia | 273.3 |
| Wisconsin | 218.5 |
| Wyoming | 210.4 |
| Washington DC | 275.5 |
FAQs about burglaries
Q: Which houses do burglars avoid?
A: Burglars usually avoid two-story homes and homes with dogs. Two-story homes tend to have cash and jewelry upstairs. This makes it harder for burglars to steal them. Dogs are also a concern for burglars as it increases their chances of getting caught.
Q: How many people get burgled a year?
A: According to the FBI, more than 1 million people get burgled annually. In fact, a new burglary occurs every 26 seconds in the United States.
Q: Do burglars carry a weapon?
A: One common belief is that burglars wear masks and carry weapons. But most of the time, that is not the case. Only 7% of burglars carry a weapon with them when entering a house. But this number isn’t completely accurate as it covers only the cases where people didn’t confront their burglar.
Q: What percentage of burglaries happen during the day?
A: 62% happen during the daytime. Mainly when people at home are off to work.
A summary of key insights + statistics
These statistics are taken from The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR), the US Department of Justice, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and Statistica.
Statistics around the time when burglaries occur
- 4,800 home burglaries happen every day.
- The majority of break-ins happen between 6 a.m and 6 p.m.
- The months with the highest number of burglaries are during the summertime in June and August.
- Home invasions are most successful between 10 a.m and 3 p.m when the owners are away from home.
- Only 27.6% of burglaries happen when someone is home.
Home invasion statistics by room
- 81% of home burglaries happen on the first floor of the home.
- 23% of burglars enter the home through a window.
- 22% of burglars use the back door to enter a home.
- 9% of burglars gain access to the home through the basement.
- 9% use the garage as a way of entry.
- 2% of burglars attempt to enter the home through the second floor.
Property crime statistics
- A burglary costs a homeowner an average of $2,800.
- 66% of burglaries affect residents.
- 34% of burglaries affect small businesses.
- In total, burglary victims lose a total of $3.4 billion worth of personal property annually.
Criminal psychology statistics
- 65% of homeowners that fall victim to burglary personally know the robber. This statistic shows that there is a higher chance of you being robbed by a neighbor or someone near you than a stranger.
- 12% of burglaries are thought through before happening.
- Most burglaries happen as an impulse decision of the moment.
- 95% of home invasions are forceful, meaning that there will be physical damage to the home after the break-in.
- 60% of all assaults happen during a burglary.
- Most burglars rob homes just a few miles away from their own residences.
- The average time for a burglary lasts between 8 to 10 minutes.
Final thoughts
As you can see, burglary does happen, but it’s not something that a normal homeowner has to worry about. Burglaries are mostly likely in poorer areas, and if you live in a one-story apartment complex or if your door or window is unlocked during the day or night, then you are at higher risk.
Certainly, be mindful of your surroundings while walking to your car and before going to bed at night!
