The 20 U.S. Cities Where You’re Most Likely to Have Your Car Stolen

Here's the good news: car theft is becoming less common throughout the U.S. In the 2025 reporting year, the national average motor vehicle theft rate was 2.1 incidents per 1,000 people. In the 2026 reporting year, it fell to 1.7 incidents per 1,000 people. That's a difference of 135,118 cars in over 3,600 cities.* 

Still, more than 1,100 cities report a higher-than-average motor vehicle theft rate, and nearly 58 million people live in a city where the risk of motor vehicle theft is at least double the national average.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, 72 cities that met our population criteria reported zero motor vehicle thefts. That list includes some cities with relatively large populations, like Columbus, IN (51,867), Mason, OH (35,923), and Cranberry Township, PA (34,970).

When we compare city rankings from the 2025 and 2026 reporting years — with #1 indicating the city with the highest motor vehicle theft rate nationwide — certain cities stand out for falling dramatically down the list. Livingston, MT shows the most improvement, dropping from #863 to #3,075 in just one year thanks to an 87.5% decrease in car theft. Dexter, MO; Fort Scott, KS; Russellville, KY; and Swansea, IL round out the top 5 cities with the most improved rankings. 

The latest FBI data reveals two distinct hotspots for motor vehicle theft:

• The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metropolitan area, where you're up to 17 times more likely to have your car stolen compared to the national average.
• The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan area, where you're up to 14.7 times more likely to have your car stolen. 

Motor vehicle thefts also tend to occur in Midwestern cities, especially those in Missouri and Michigan. 

The South is represented on the top 20 list as well thanks to high motor vehicle rates in Memphis, TN and two Texas cities: Humble (a Houston suburb) and Addison (a Dallas suburb). 

We have to look beyond the top 20 to find hotspots in other regions:

• The Denver, CO area leads the way in the Mountain region (up to 7.3 times higher than national average).
• Irvington, NJ; Greenbelt, MD; and Baltimore, MD tie for the highest motor vehicle theft rate on the east coast (6.2 times higher than the national average).
• Albuquerque, NM is the Southwest hotspot (6.1 times higher than the national average).
• Bessemer, AL reports the highest motor vehicle theft rate in the Deep South (5.5 times higher than the national average).
• Hartford, CT and New Haven, CT represent New England hotspots (up to 4.9 times higher than the national average).

MVT= Motor vehicle theft, YOY=Year over year; Crime rates per 1,000 people

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 3,676 cities qualified for ranking.
• 3.5 million people live in the top 20 cities.
• 50,640 vehicles were reported stolen in the top 20 cities in the 2026 reporting year. That's 16,000 fewer than in the 2025 reporting year, which is a decrease of 24%.
• Tukwila, WA has the highest motor vehicle theft rate in the country at 28.9 incidents per 1,000 people. That's more than double the rate of 9 cities in the top 20.
• Only 3 of the top 20 cities saw a year-over-year increase in motor vehicle theft: Humble, TX; Benton Harbor, MI; and Antioch, CA. All other cities reported fewer motor vehicle thefts. 
• Of the top 20 cities, Fife, WA reported the greatest improvement in its motor vehicle theft rate (down by nearly 56% year over year). Fife also appears on our list of cities with the most improved safety scores. 
• Every city in the top 20 is either a major metro or a suburb of a major metro, with the exception of Benton Harbor, MI — a city of about 8,800 people located on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan. 

• Don't make it easy: Always lock your car doors and don't keep the keys in the ignition or visor. Remove the valet key from the glovebox. Keep your windows rolled up when parked, and park in well-lit areas. 
• Install a remote car starter. This lets you run the car to heat it up without having to leave the keys in the ignition with the car doors unlocked. 
• Upgrade your car alarm. Consider a model that sends text notifications so you don't have to be within earshot to know someone's tampering with your car. 
• Hide a kill switch. No one will be able to start the car without finding the kill switch first.
• Use a steering wheel lock, brake lock, or tire lock. These steel devices require heavy-duty equipment to bust through, so they should deter people who don't want to make a scene. 
• Etch the VIN number onto the windows. Etch it onto other areas too for good measure. Parts are difficult to sell when they can be easily identified and traced by law enforcement. 
• Increase security around your driveway or garage. According to the FBI, one-third of all motor vehicle thefts take place at a residence. Use outdoor security cameras, motion sensor lights, and driveway alarms as deterrents. 

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