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Where in America are you most likely to be a victim of vehicle theft? -

Statistically, these are the top five cities in the United States plagued by grand theft auto, with all lists ranked in descending order.

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5. Dallas -

According to data released by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), the city of Dallas in Texas ranks fifth in the United States for auto theft.

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Dallas -

In 2023 there were 34,119 reported instances of stolen cars in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA), a figure that represents a 13% increase over 2022.

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4. Houston -

Houston, also in Texas, ranks fourth in the nation as the American city with the most cars stolen.

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Houston -

In 2023, Texas recorded exactly 1,000 more thefts than Dallas, with 35,119 vehicles reported taken in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land CBSA. This figure represents a jump of 7% over 2022.

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3. Chicago -

Chicago in Illinois is placed third in the table as the US city with the most car thefts.

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Chicago -

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin CBSA recorded 36,272 auto thefts in 2023, an increase of 9% over 2022.

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2. San Francisco -

In second place as the American city with the most car thefts is San Francisco in California.

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San Francisco -

In 2023, a total of 40,977 cars were reported stolen in the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley CBSA. That number represents a 28% increase over 2022.

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1. Los Angeles -

And the auto theft capital of the United States is currently Los Angeles in California.

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Los Angeles -

In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CBSA, a total of 72,460 vehicles were reported stolen in 2023. However, this figure is down -0.5% over 2022 numbers.

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Top five most stolen cars -

The NICB also released statistics relating to the top five vehicles that thieves are most likely to steal.

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5. Kia Soul -

In fifth place is the crossover SUV Kia Soul. In 2023, 21,001 models were recorded as stolen.

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4. Chevrolet Silverado 1500 -

General Motors' Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is the fourth-most targeted vehicle. In 2023, 23,721 Silverado's were reported as stolen.

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3. Kia Optima -

In 2023 there were 30,204 reported thefts of the Kia Optima, which outside of the United States, Canada, Malaysia, and the Middle East is known simply as the K5.

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2. Hyundai Sonata -

The second-most popular vehicle in the United States targeted by thieves in 2023 is the Hyundai Sonata, with 42,813 reported stolen.

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1. Hyundai Elantra -

And it's another Hyundai model that makes the top spot, with 48,445 examples of the Elantra being the vehicle of choice stolen by thieves in 2023.

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Cities with the least car thefts -

The NICB car theft data also indicated that the following are the cities with the least reported cases of car theft. The figures released are from 2022, and correlate to per 100,000 population.

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5. Glens Falls, New York -

In fifth place is Glens Falls in New York state. In 2022, the recorded car theft rate stood at 30.81. Incidentally in 2023 for the second year in a row, Glens Falls was named safest city in the United States, according to NEWS10.

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4. Barnstable, Massachusetts -

In fourth place with a reported car theft rate in 2022 of 29.26 is Barnstable in Massachusetts.

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3. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania -

In 2022, historic Gettysburg in Pennsylvania recorded a car theft rate of 26.41.

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2. State College, Pennsylvania -

Reported car rate theft in State College, also in Pennsylvania, peaked at just 17.67 in 2022.

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1. Kahului, Hawaii -

And the safest city in the United States for car theft is the Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina metro area in Hawaii. In 2022, the car theft rate stood at 0, with no vehicles reported stolen throughout the entire year.

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Top five states for car theft -

Now that we know the top five cities for car theft, plus the top five safest, let's take a look at the top five states where vehicle theft is most prevalent.

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5. California -

In 2023, the fifth-placed US state for stolen vehicles was California, which recorded a theft rate per 100,000 residents of 534.49. This figure is slightly higher than the 520.17 reported in 2022.

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4. Washington -

Washington state reported a theft rate of 554.44 in 2023, lower than 2022's 603.54.

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3. Nevada -

Nevada's recorded theft rate in 2023 was 572.70. In 2022, that figure stood at 480.81.

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2. Colorado -

In second place as the state with the most cars stolen in 2023 is Colorado. It's theft rate was 583.25. However, this is substantially lower than the 731.28 rate recorded in 2022.

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1. Washington, D.C -

Although not a state, Washington, D.C. was reported as the number one state with the highest rate of car theft in the US at a whopping 1,149.71 thefts per 100,000 people, an increase of 64% over 2022's recorded rate of 700.06.

Sources: (NICB) (NEWS10)

See also: The best US cities for work-life balance in 2024.

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