Connecticut Ranks #22 in Motor Vehicle Thefts; Rate Drops 3 Percent
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Connecticut ranks #22 in the nation in motor vehicle thefts, with 238 thefts per 100,000 registered vehicles, a one-year drop of 3.3 percent, according to the most recent full-year data.
The District of Columbia had the greatest theft rate, with a total of 3,661 vehicles stolen and 322,350 registered vehicles in D.C. That reflected a reduction in thefts of 18 percent in 2012 as compared with 201
1, but still outdistanced all 50 states.
Rounding out the top 10 states with the highest rate of car thefts were California, Nevada, Washington, Maryland, Georgia, Arizona, South Carolina and Oklahoma. Among the New England states, Rhode Island ranked #12, Massachusetts was #34, Maine was #47, New Hampshire was #49 and Vermont was #51, with 435 thefts and 606,941 registered vehicles – the lowest rate in the nation.
In Connecticut in 2012 there were 6,449 motor vehicle thefts. The state has 2,706,459 registered vehicles.
The data was compiled by Bloomberg.com based on information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Uniform Crime Reports, and U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration.
According to data compiled by the FBI and provided by the Criminal Justice Information Services Division:
- There were an estimated 721,053 thefts of motor vehicles nationwide in 2012. The estimated rate of motor vehicle thefts was 229.7 per 100,000 inhabitants, placing Connecticut’s car theft rate just above the national average.
- The estimated number of motor vehicle thefts increased 0.6 percent in 2012 when compared with the 2011 estimates, but declined 24.8 percent when compared to the 2008 estimates, and 42.8 percent when compared to the 2003 estimates.
- More than $4.3 billion was lost nationwide to motor vehicle thefts in 2012. The average dollar loss per stolen vehicle was $6,019.
- In 2012, of all motor vehicles stolen, 73.9 percent were automobiles.
