Cities With the Worst Car Break-Ins

Seattle comes in at the number 10 spot with 1,107 motor vehicle incidents for every 100K residents. When you take into account the entire population of Seattle, that’s 8,161 motor vehicle incidents in 2020.

It should be noted that a motor vehicle incident can either be a break-in in which your valuables are stolen, or it can be a vehicle theft.

Evidently, people are messing with Texas, as Houston turns out to have the ninth-worst number of car break-ins.

Around 1,249 people for every 100K residents in Houston are victims of a car break-in or theft. Altogether, there were 28,788 motor vehicle incidents.

Another major city in Texas makes the top 10 worst for car break-ins with 12,852 motor vehicle incidents.

While that number may not seem as high as Houston's, when considering the smaller population of Forth Worth, that’s a higher percentage of victims. There are 1,399 motor vehicle incidents for every 100K residents.

Los Angeles has the largest number of break-ins on this list at 56,724. However, it ranks lower due to its higher population, lowering the percentage of people affected.

There are about 1,455 motor vehicle incidents for every 100K residents. But don’t get us wrong, that’s still a lot.

Coming in at the sixth spot - Portland with 1,628 motor vehicle incidents per 100K residents. However, given its smaller population, the total number of incidents is 10,625.

According to hourly data provided by Portland police records, the peak times for car break-ins are between 5 pm and 10 pm.

Our nation’s capital city, Washington D.C., slightly beats out Portland with 1,671 motor vehicle incidents for every 100K residents – putting the capital in the fifth spot. Altogether, there were 11,525 incidents.

Notably, the greatest number of motor vehicle crimes in the country happen from August through February, with the peak occurring in January.

A third city in Texas makes the top ten, coming in at number four. In Austin, there were 2,004 incidents for every 100K residents. In total, the city of Austin had 19,277 motor vehicle incidents.

Another statistic worth noting: the biggest days for break-ins are Monday through Friday, which means even thieves like their time off.

The city of Philly had the fourth-highest number of motor vehicle incidents at 32,705.

However, Philly ranks third by population with 2,039 incidents for every 100K residents. Either way, you look at it, you are at higher risk of parking your car in Philadelphia.

San Francisco is the second California city to make the top 10 and the second worst city for car break-ins, with 41,897 motor vehicle incidents.

Not only is that the second-highest total number of incidents, but it’s also the second-highest when taking into consideration the population - with about 4,794 incidents for every 100K residents.

Denver, Colorado, topped the list with 36,772 motor vehicle incidents. That number amounts to around 5,139 motor vehicle incidents for every 100K residents – the highest rate by population.

While only liability insurance is required in the state of Colorado, that doesn’t cover motorists for break-ins. That being said, a comprehensive coverage plan is your best bet if you’re living in Denver.