Smart Safety - 2023's Most Vulnerable Cities for Burglaries

 

Where in the U.S. are homes most likely to be broken into? To mark National Crime Prevention Month, Fence Gnome ranked 2023’s Most Vulnerable Cities for Burglaries. We compared nearly 500 of the biggest U.S. cities based on target attractiveness — average home value and share of single-unit detached homes — and burglary prevalence. See the 10 most vulnerable (and 10 least vulnerable) cities for burglaries below, followed by key stats from our report.

Most Vulnerable Cities for Burglaries Rank City 1 Jonesboro, AR 2 Peoria, AZ 3 Seattle, WA 4 Memphis, TN 5 Las Vegas, NV 6 Houston, TX 7 Springfield, MO 8 Detroit, MI 9 Lake Charles, LA 10 Dayton, OH Least Vulnerable Cities for Burglaries Rank City 1 Alexandria, VA 2 Allentown, PA 3 Reading, PA 4 Lawrence, MA 5 Hartford, CT 6 Washington, DC 7 Philadelphia, PA 8 Jersey City, NJ 9 Bethlehem, PA 10 Miami Beach, FL

Key Insights: Home burglaries are prevalent in both big cities like Seattle (No. 3) and Las Vegas (No. 5) and smaller ones, such as Jonesboro, Arkansas (No. 1), and Lake Charles, Louisiana (No. 9). Jonesboro dealt with the most burglaries per 10,000 households, while Seattle had both high total burglaries and burglaries per 10,000 households. Luxurious neighborhoods don’t necessarily entice more robbers. Only 3 of our 50 most vulnerable cities ranked among the 100 most attractive targets — Peoria, Arizona (No. 2), Newport Beach, California (No. 44), and Sandy, Utah (No. 50).  Newport Beach has the highest home value of over $3 million — over $1.2 million higher than in Sunnyvale, California (No. 220), with the 2nd-highest average home value. The most expensive homes tend to deter burglars due to enhanced security systems. Populous cities in the North and Mid-Atlantic like Chicago (No. 409), Philadelphia (No. 479), and Washington (No. 480) finished at the bottom, near Alexandria, Virginia, in last place. These cities have historically fewer residential burglaries per household and a smaller share of detached single-family homes, which are prime targets for burglars.   Helpful Links: See Where Your City Ranks Full Study Article Methodology Help keep burglars out by adding a fence around your home. For fence installation, repair, and painting, Fence Gnome connects you to the best fencing professionals in your area. Fence Gnome is part of the Home Gnome family of home services sites.  More from Fence Gnome: How Much Does a Privacy Fence Cost? 11 Front Yard Fencing Ideas Best Fences to Reduce Noise How to Choose the Right Fence for Your Yard Pros and Cons of Wrought Iron Fences How to Make Your Wood Fence Last Longer