In 2023, vehicle thefts increased across several states throughout the U.S., totaling a record-breaking 1,020,729, a 1% increase from the previous year’s total. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), “Vehicle theft rates have risen steadily since 2019. California accounted for the highest number of vehicle thefts nationwide in 2023 with 208,668 vehicles reported stolen. The District of Columbia had the highest theft rate across the nation in 2023 with 1,149.71 thefts per 100,000 people, which is over three times the national theft rate.”
Vehicle Theft Hotspots
“Urban centers and densely populated areas remained hotspots for auto theft, with metropolitan regions such as the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area reporting increased incidents compared to suburban or rural areas,” states the report. “The District of Columbia and Maryland each saw a drastic rise in thefts in 2023, with theft percentage increases of 64% and 63%, respectively.”
The top-10 states by percentage increase after the District of Columbia and Maryland are Connecticut (33%); Nevada (18%); Massachusetts (16%); Delaware (15%); New York (15%); Pennsylvania (13%); Nebraska (12%); and Louisiana, North Carolina, and Tennessee tied for 10th (10%).
Furthermore, according to the report, the top-10 states by volume remained consistent in each 2023 quarter. They were California (208,668); Texas (115,013); Florida (46,213); Washington (43,160); Illinois (41,528); Colorado (34,068); New York (32,715); Ohio (31,647); Georgia (28,171); and Missouri (27,279).
The report was also broken down by the top-10 Core-Based Statistical Areas (CBSA). “DC-VA-MD-WV had the highest theft percentage increase from 2022 to 2023 at 52%,” states the report. “Of the top-10 CBSAs by theft volume in 2023, Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colorado had the highest theft percentage decrease from 2022 of -22. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California had the highest number of overall thefts in 2023 with 72,460 vehicles reported as stolen to law enforcement, despite having a slight decrease in thefts from the 72,794 reported in the prior year (-0.5%).”
Floyd Cottrell, certified civil trial attorney, Rawle & Henderson LLP, comments, “The increase in vehicle thefts is not surprising given that we are living through a period of high inflation and economic distress. Stolen vehicles tend to be involved in other criminal activity as well as in accidents. It would be wise to carry a robust level of Uninsured Motorists (UM) coverage against the possibility of being involved in an accident with a vehicle without its own liability coverage due to non-permissive use.”