Cities With the Most Burglaries
According to the FBI, burglaries accounted for approximately $4.8 billion in lost property in the U.S. in 2011, the most recent year for which data exists. With almost 2.2 million committed, this means that the average loss per burglary was $2,185.
Some cities see more burglaries than others, and CNBC.com lists the top 10 here, based on the data in the 2011 the agency's Uniform Crime Report.
Read ahead to see the 10 cities with the most burglaries.
By Daniel Bukszpan
Posted 14 Dec. 2012
10. Indianapolis, Ind.
Number of burglaries: 15,122
The capital of the state of Indiana is the site of the National Hot Rod Association U.S. Nationals, the NCAA Basketball tournaments and, of course, the Indianapolis 500. Among the 46,967 property offenses reported in 2011, 15,122 were burglaries. There were also 26,588 offenses categorized as "larceny-theft" and 5,257 motor vehicle thefts.
9. Columbus, Ohio
Number of burglaries: 15,169
In 2011, Columbus experienced 49,043 property offenses, 15,169 of which were burglaries. On the plus side, the city is perhaps better known for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, which was made famous by former director Jack Hanna, whose regular appearances on the "Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" made for reliably memorable television viewing.
8. San Antonio
Number of burglaries: 15,334
In 2011, The Washington Post reported that the population of San Antonio had grown to 1.3 million, an increase of 16 percent since 2000. This increase is part of the overall population explosion that has been going on in Texas in the new millennium. This growing city experienced 80,868 property offenses in 2011, of which 15,334 were burglaries.
7. Detroit
Number of burglaries: 15,994
Detroit is the largest city in Michigan and the center of the U.S. automobile industry. Despite its reputation as a city in decline, crime has actually been steadily decreasing there since the 1970s. Although the 15,994 burglaries committed there in 2011 are nothing to brag about, they put the city at a somewhat modest number seven on this list.
6. Los Angeles
Number of burglaries: 17,264
Los Angeles is the second most populous city in the U.S. and one of the most influential in the world. The fields of business, entertainment, media and education are all well-represented within the city's limits, and the crime rate has undergone consistent decline for the past two decades. Despite this improving picture, the city still fell victim to 17,264 burglaries during 2011.
5. New York
Number of burglaries: 18,159
New York is the most populous city in the U.S. and one of the main cultural centers of the world. During the 1970s and 1980s the city was considered more afflicted by crime than many others, but it has been dropping steadily since the 1990s for reasons The New York Times said had baffled the experts as recently as 2011. Still, no city is immune, and New York was the site of 18,159 burglaries in 2011.
4. Phoenix
Number of burglaries: 18,666
According to the Census Bureau, the 2011 estimated population of Phoenix was approximately 1.5 million. Mirroring the trend across the nation, the city has seen a decline in its crime rate, particularly with respect to its once-epidemic rate of car theft. It experienced 18,666 burglaries in 2011.
3. Dallas
Number of burglaries: 18,727
Dallas is the center of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area, an area which had a gross metropolitan product of $374 billion, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Of the 61,859 property offenses committed there in 2011, 18,727 were burglaries.
2. Chicago
Number of burglaries: 26,420
Chicago is the third most populous city in the U.S. Known as "Chi-Town" and "The Windy City," it has had a world-famous criminal element since the days of Al Capone, but like the rest of the country, the crime rate has been on the decline since the 1990s. Still, the city saw a whopping 118,239 property offenses in 2011, of which 26,420 were burglaries.
1. Houston
Number of burglaries: 27,459
Houston is best known as the location of NASA's Johnson Space Center and Mission Control Center. It also saw 108,336 property offenses in 2011, of which 68,596 were categorized as "larceny-theft" and 12,281 were motor vehicle thefts. The remaining 27,459 were burglaries, which puts the city at the top of the list. So if you live there, lock your doors when you go out at night.