Vehicle theft is measured through several systems, so national totals are not interchangeable. FBI reported incidents and estimates, NICB stolen-vehicle counts, and BJS survey estimates describe different populations, periods and definitions.
Key Vehicle Theft Statistics
The most broadly useful figures in this overview are:
- In the United States, the FBI motor-vehicle-theft incident rate was 283.5 per 100,000 people in 2023, up from 199.4 in 2019.
- NICB recorded 1,020,729 stolen vehicles in the United States in 2023.
- NICB recorded 850,708 stolen vehicles in the United States in 2024.
- The FBI estimated 880,327 motor-vehicle thefts nationwide in 2024.
- The FBI estimated a 2024 motor-vehicle-theft rate of 258.8 per 100,000 inhabitants in the United States.
- The FBI estimated that motor-vehicle thefts decreased 18.6% from 2023 to 2024 in the United States.
- Automobiles represented 78.1% of vehicles stolen in the FBI’s 2019–2023 U.S. series.
- Automobiles accounted for 80.4% of all motor vehicles stolen in the United States in 2024.
- The FBI reported 829,425 automobile-theft offenses in 2023 from 15,060 reporting agencies.
- The FBI reported 657,411 automobile-theft offenses in 2024 from 15,060 reporting agencies.
- The FBI West region had the highest 2019–2023 motor-vehicle-theft rate, at 397.5 per 100,000 people.
- The FBI Northeast region had the lowest 2019–2023 motor-vehicle-theft rate, at 89.3 per 100,000 people.
- The District of Columbia had an 842.4-per-100,000 vehicle-theft rate in 2024, according to NICB.
- From 2019 through 2023, 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. was the leading reported theft time window in the United States.
- Known motor-vehicle-theft offenders were 77.7% male from 2019 through 2023 in FBI data.
- Automobiles made up 89% of carjacked vehicles in the FBI’s 2019–2023 series.
- The reported carjacking rate fell from 7.5 to 6.6 per 100,000 people from 2022 to 2023 in the United States.
- The share of motor-vehicle theft victimizations reported to police was 72% in 2023, according to the NCVS.
- In 2024, 9.2% of motor-vehicle-theft offenses were cleared by arrest or exceptional means.
- Motor-vehicle theft accounted for 14.7% of estimated U.S. property crimes in 2024.
Contents
- Vehicle theft statistics: national scale and long-term trends
- Vehicle theft data by vehicle type and recent changes
- Regional and state vehicle theft rates and trends
- When and where vehicle theft occurs
- Vehicle theft offenders and carjacking statistics
- Reporting, clearance and measurement outcomes
Vehicle Theft Statistics: National Scale and Long-Term Trends
The FBI’s NIBRS incident rate rose from 199.4 per 100,000 people in 2019 to 283.5 in 2023. The FBI cautions that NIBRS reporting coverage changed across the period, so the rate should be read with that limitation.
NICB’s separate stolen-vehicle series shows the annual scale clearly, but it is not directly interchangeable with FBI NIBRS incidents.
| Year | NICB vehicles stolen | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 880,595 | NICB recorded stolen vehicles |
| 2021 | 932,329 | NICB recorded stolen vehicles |
| 2022 | 1,008,756 | NICB recorded stolen vehicles |
| 2023 | 1,020,729 | NICB recorded stolen vehicles |
| 2024 | 850,708 | NICB recorded stolen vehicles |
Source: Vehicle Thefts in United States Fell 17% in 2024, NICB.
NICB reported a 17% decrease from 2023 to 2024. Separately, the FBI estimated 880,327 motor-vehicle thefts in 2024, an estimated 18.6% decrease from 2023, 8.9% above the 2020 estimate and 24.3% above the 2015 estimate.
The estimated FBI 2024 rate was 258.8 thefts per 100,000 inhabitants. In the same FBI quick-stats measure, motor-vehicle theft represented 14.7% of estimated U.S. property crimes.
Source: Reported Crimes in the Nation, 2024: Quick Stats.
Vehicle Theft Data by Vehicle Type and Recent Changes
Automobiles dominated the FBI vehicle-type measures. In the 2019–2023 special report, automobiles were 78.1% of stolen vehicles, trucks 12.2%, and other motor vehicles 8.0%; the categories do not sum exactly to 100% because of rounding and other categories.
| Vehicle type | 2023 reported offenses | 2024 reported offenses |
|---|---|---|
| Automobiles | 829,425 | 657,411 |
| Trucks and buses | 124,114 | 99,065 |
| Other vehicles | 67,656 | 61,047 |
Source: UCR Summary of Reported Crimes in the Nation, 2024, based on offenses reported by 15,060 agencies.
The FBI’s expanded-data measure put automobiles at 80.4% of all motor vehicles stolen in 2024. Among the same agencies, truck-and-bus thefts decreased 20.2% from 2023 to 2024, while other-vehicle thefts decreased 9.8%.
The same-agency comparisons are not the same as comparing the full raw totals above. They are useful for describing change within a consistent reporting group.
Source: Reported Crimes in the Nation, 2024: Quick Stats.
Regional and State Vehicle Theft Rates and Trends
The FBI’s 2019–2023 regional data show a wide spread in rates and counts. The West had the highest regional rate, while the Northeast had the lowest.
| FBI region | 2019–2023 reported incidents | Rate or change |
|---|---|---|
| South | 1,141,709 | Reported incidents |
| Northeast | 203,042 | 89.3 per 100,000 people |
| West | — | 397.5 per 100,000 people |
| Midwest | — | Rate declined 4.8 per 100,000 from 2022 to 2023 |
| West | — | Rate declined 7.3 per 100,000 from 2022 to 2023 |
Source: Motor Vehicle Theft, 2019-2023, FBI.
NICB reported a national vehicle-theft rate of 250.2 per 100,000 residents in 2024. The District of Columbia’s rate was 842.4 per 100,000 residents, identified by NICB as the highest in the nation.
Several states recorded large year-over-year declines in NICB’s 2023–2024 comparison: Washington fell 32%, Nevada 31%, Oregon 30%, Nebraska 29% and Colorado 26%. Maine was the only state with an increase in that comparison, rising 2%.
Source: Vehicle Thefts in United States Fell 17% in 2024.
When and Where Vehicle Theft Occurs
Monthly and time-of-day measures add timing context to national totals. They describe reported NIBRS incidents, and time-window rankings use incidents with usable time information.
- The highest reported monthly theft count in 2021 was 55,492 incidents in December in the United States.
- The highest reported monthly theft count in 2022 was 63,964 incidents in October in the United States.
- From 2019 through 2023, 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. ranked as the leading reported theft window in the United States.
- From 2019 through 2023, 4 p.m. to 7:59 p.m. ranked second among reported theft time windows.
Source: Motor Vehicle Theft, 2019-2023, FBI.
These rankings do not establish that every theft occurs during those hours or that time patterns are identical in every region. They summarize reported incidents for which the relevant timing information was available.
Vehicle Theft Offenders and Carjacking Statistics
FBI offender figures cover known offenders reported to NIBRS, not every offender and not population-adjusted offending rates. Across 2019–2023, known offenders were 77.7% male and 22.3% female.
The FBI recorded 210,664 male known offenders and 54,320 female known offenders in 2023. Across the full 2019–2023 series, White known offenders totaled 601,642 and Black known offenders totaled 362,336; these are counts of known offenders, not population risk rates.
Carjacking is a robbery measure involving a vehicle, rather than a synonym for all motor-vehicle theft. In the FBI 2019–2023 series, automobiles made up 89% of carjacked vehicles, trucks 6.9% and other motor vehicles 3.2%.
The reported carjacking rate fell from 7.5 to 6.6 per 100,000 people between 2022 and 2023 in the United States.
Source: Motor Vehicle Theft, 2019-2023, FBI.
Reporting, Clearance and Measurement Outcomes
Survey data show why police-based counts do not capture every victimization. The NCVS estimated that 72% of motor-vehicle theft victimizations were reported to police in 2023, compared with 81% in 2022.
Source: Criminal Victimization, 2023, BJS.
For 2020–2023, the reporting share varied by the victim household’s residence location, not necessarily the location where the incident occurred:
- Urban-resident households reported 72.7% of motor-vehicle theft victimizations to police.
- Suburban-resident households reported 76.5%.
- Rural-resident households reported 81.4%.
Source: Reporting to Police by Type of Crime and Location of Residence, 2020-2023, BJS.
Clearance measures describe a different outcome from reporting, conviction or vehicle recovery. In 2024, 9.2% of motor-vehicle-theft offenses were cleared by arrest or exceptional means, compared with 17.3% of larceny-theft offenses.
Source: Reported Crimes in the Nation, 2024: Quick Stats, FBI.
The central measurement distinction is important: FBI NIBRS incidents, FBI estimated offenses, NICB stolen-vehicle totals and BJS NCVS victimization estimates should not be combined as one time series. Each provides a different view of vehicle theft’s scale, trend, reporting and outcomes.