The Latest Burglary Statistics: How Common is Burglary in the U.S.?

National Burglary Trends Show Continued Historic Decline

The 2024 FBI Crime in the U.S. report data reveals that burglary continues its remarkable downward trajectory, with rates falling consistently for over two decades. This sustained decline reflects broader societal changes, including widespread adoption of home security systems, improved neighborhood watch programs, and demographic shifts that have reduced crime rates across most categories.

Source: 2024 FBI Crime in the U.S., Table 1

The data shows that total burglaries dropped by 64 percent between 2005 and 2024, from over 2.1 million incidents to fewer than 780,000. This decline has been particularly steep since 2013, when burglaries fell below 2 million for the first time since comprehensive federal tracking began.

Burglary in Context: Comparison with Other Crimes

Burglary occurs when someone enters a certain space without permission with the intention to commit a crime inside it (such as stealing). How does it differ from robbery or larceny? According to Justia, here are a few differences:

• Larceny theft is when someone steals property from someone else with the intent to deprive them of it, without entering their home or other place they’re not permitted to enter.
• Shoplifting is when someone steals merchandise from a store
• Robbery happens when someone uses force, like a gun, to steal something
• Grand theft auto: could be charged together with burglary in situations such as when the defendant broke into a garage and stole a car

When compared to other major crime categories, burglary ranks fourth among property crimes. It occurs far less often than larceny theft, which remains the most common property offense.

Source: 2024 FBI Crime in the U.S., Table 1

The positioning of burglary below aggravated assault rates highlights how property crimes have declined more rapidly than violent crimes in recent years. According to criminology research from the University of California, this trend reflects improved home security technology and changes in criminal behavior patterns.

Geographic Burglary Patterns: Regional and State-Level Analysis

Burglary rates vary dramatically across U.S. regions and states. The data from the FBI reveals stark contrasts between states, with some experiencing rates five times higher than others.

States with Highest and Lowest Burglary Rates

Source: 2024 FBI Crime in the U.S., Table 5

New Mexico's exceptionally high burglary rate of 500 per 100,000 residents represents more than double the national average and reflects ongoing challenges with property crime in the state. Cities like Taos, Las Cruces, and Hobbs have the highest property crime rates in New Mexico.

The Northeast consistently shows the lowest burglary rates of all U.S. regions, with New Hampshire's rate of just 48 per 100,000 representing the most dramatic success story in burglary prevention.

Regional Distribution of Burglaries

Source: 2024 FBI Crime in the U.S., Table 5, Census.gov

Burglary rates sometimes correlate with regional population distribution, though not perfectly. In 2024, the South accounted for 39 percent of burglaries while housing 38 percent of the U.S. population—a nearly proportional match. However, the West experienced 31 percent of all burglaries despite representing only 24 percent of the population, indicating a disproportionately higher rate of burglary incidents in that region.

Metropolitan Area Analysis: Cities with Extreme Burglary Rates

Metropolitan-level data reveals even starker contrasts, with some cities experiencing burglary rates over 20 times higher than the safest metro areas. These variations reflect local economic conditions, policing strategies, and community investment in security infrastructure.

Metropolitan Areas with Highest Burglary Rates

Source: 2024 FBI Crime in the U.S., Table 6

Springfield, Illinois's extraordinarily high rate of 1,035.6 burglaries per 100,000 residents makes it an outlier even among high-crime metropolitan areas. According to local reporting, burglaries had actually increased in the Springfield area by 70 percent between 2022 and 2023, and the community struggles with violent crime.

Metropolitan Areas with Lowest Burglary Rates

Source: 2024 FBI Crime in the U.S., Table 6

The concentration of low-burglary metropolitan areas in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin suggests that regional factors, including strong local economies, high homeownership rates, and robust community safety programs, contribute to burglary prevention success.

Residential vs. Non-Residential Burglary Patterns

The 2024 FBI data shows that residential burglaries continue to make up about half of all burglary incidents, maintaining a consistent pattern that has persisted since 2022. However, the distribution between daytime and nighttime residential burglaries reveals important insights for home security planning.

Burglary by Location and Time of Day

Source: 2024 FBI Crime in the U.S., Table 7

In 2024, 52 percent of all burglaries targeted residential properties, totaling 405,776 incidents. Contrary to popular perception, daytime home burglaries (216,601 incidents) outnumbered nighttime incidents (174,053), reflecting criminals' preference for targeting unoccupied homes during typical work hours.

Common Entry Points and Methods

According to ADT security research, the three most common entry points for home break-ins remain surprisingly simple:

• Front doors (34 percent of burglars) – Often unlocked or with inadequate security
• First-floor windows (23 percent) – Frequently left open or with faulty locks
• Back doors (22 percent) – Less visible to neighbors and often less secure

The data shows that burglars typically spend only 10-12 minutes inside homes searching for valuable items, according to Valley Alarm security studies. This brief time window underscores the importance of security systems that can detect and respond to intrusions within the first few minutes.

Burglary Recovery Rates

In 2024, the total value of stolen property across all theft categories reached nearly $23 billion, according to FBI data. This represents a significant economic impact on American households and businesses. However, law enforcement agencies recovered approximately 27 percent of the stolen property value, totaling about $6 billion in returned goods.

Besides miscellaneous items, motor vehicles comprised the greatest value among stolen goods, exceeding $10 billion in total losses. The high vehicle recovery rate reflects improved anti-theft technology, GPS tracking systems, and coordinated law enforcement databases like the National Insurance Crime Bureau's database.

Law Enforcement Response and Arrest Patterns

Burglary arrest patterns reveal important insights about law enforcement effectiveness and criminal demographics. The 2024 FBI arrest data shows continued challenges in apprehending burglary suspects, with arrest rates remaining relatively low compared to violent crimes.

Burglary Arrests and Demographics

Key arrest statistics for 2024: 

• Total arrests reported: 5,471,994 across all crime categories
• Burglary arrests: approximately 81,000 (14 percent of all arrests)
• Juvenile arrests (under 18): 10 percent of all burglary arrests
• Female arrests: 19 percent of burglary arrests
• Male arrests: 81 percent of burglary arrests

The 49 percent decline in burglary arrests between 2015 and 2024 parallels the overall decrease in burglary incidents, suggesting that while crime rates are falling, arrest rates are keeping pace proportionally. This trend reflects both fewer crimes being committed and consistent law enforcement response rates.

Research from the Bureau of Justice Statistics indicates that burglary clearance rates (cases solved by arrest) have remained relatively stable at approximately 13-15 percent over the past decade, suggesting that while overall crime is decreasing, the fundamental challenges of investigating property crimes persist.

Technology-Driven Burglary Prevention

The dramatic decline in burglary rates correlates strongly with increased adoption of home security technology and changing criminal opportunity structures. Multiple studies have documented the deterrent effect of visible security systems and community-wide crime prevention programs.

Recent market research from SafeHome.org indicates that home security system adoption has reached unprecedented levels:

• 94 million U.S. households used security systems in 2025, according to SafeHome.org market analysis
• ADT and Ring lead the market, with security cameras being the most popular feature

The University of North Carolina's landmark study “Through the Eyes of a Burglar” found that 83 percent of convicted burglars would avoid homes with visible security systems, while 60 percent would choose a different neighborhood entirely if they observed extensive security measures.