Burglary, theft, and robbery each amount to billions of dollars in total monetary losses each year. Larceny-theft (or simply “theft”) is defined as the unlawful removal of property. Burglary, a property crime, is defined as theft from an unoccupied dwelling. Robbery, unlike theft or burglary, is considered a violent crime and occurs when an individual is present during a theft or attempted theft.
Trends Rates of personal and household burglary, theft, and robbery have decreased consistently over the past two decades. The national rate of personal robbery has decreased 67%, from 6.3 victimizations per 1,000 individuals in 1995 to 2.1 per 1,000 in 2015. Similarly, the rate of personal theft dropped 84% (from 1.9 to 0.3), while household burglary and household theft* have declined 60% and 65%, respectively. The rate of motor vehicle theft has also declined 75% (from 17.1 to 4.3).A
Personal Robbery and TheftA Household Theft, Burglary, and Motor Vehicle TheftA Personal Theft and Robbery rate per 1,000 people rate per 1,000 people Rate per 1,000 Individuals 10 300 10 300 243.9 Household theft Personal robbery Household burglary Personal theft/larceny 6.3 Motor vehicle theft
120.3 3.1 84.4 1.9 2.1 54.4 0.9 30.6 22.0 0.3 17.1 8.6 0 0 4.3 19951995 1997 19991999 20012001 2003 20052005 20072007 20092009 20112011 20132013 20152015 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 20132013 2015
From 1995 to 2015, the rates of robbery, burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft known to law enforcement have declined. Robbery has decreased from 2.2 per 1,000 individuals to 1. Burglary decreased 50%, from nearly 10 per 1,000 individuals to about 5. Similarly, larceny-theft and motor-vehicle theft decreased by 41% and 61%, respectively. It is important to note that the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) includes commercial crimes in these estimates, while the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) does not. Despite this difference, the UCR and NCVS have reported comparable changes over the years. The convergence of these numbers indicates that victims of burglary, robbery, and theft, on average, report their victimization to law enforcement.B
Burglary, Theft, and Robbery Known to Law EnforcementB rate per 1,000 people Did You Know?
40 40 Larceny-theft In 2014, 60.9% of robberies were reported to the police, A 30.4 Burglary up 10% since 2005.
22.9 Motor vehicle theft Robbery 32% of men robbed in 2014 were robbed by a stranger; 17.8 23% of women were robbed by someone they knew.A
41% of robberies involve the use of strong-arm tactics, 9.9 while 38% involve the use of firearms.B** 7.3 5.6 4.2 4.9 2.2 1.4 2.2 31 out of 1,000 individuals were victims of burglary by 0 1.0 forcible entry; 19 out of 1,000 were victims of burglary 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 by unlawful entry.B
2017 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Resource Guide: Crime and Victimization Fact Sheets Current Data on Burglary, Theft, Robbery
Burglaries are more likely to occur at residential dwellings, compared to stores, offices, or other non-residential locations. Residential dwellings are also at a greater risk during the day, while most non-residential burglaries occur at unknown times throughout the day.B
Location of BurglaryB Burglary by Time of DayB by type of residence and type of residence
100% Residence Residence 71.6 Non-residence 37.5 20.7 13.4 Non-residence 28.4 10 11.9 6.5
100% Day Night Unknown
In 2015, 46% of larceny-theft known to law enforcement Of the 284,722 robberies known to law enforcement in was worth over $200. The most commonly reported types of 2015, 40% occurred on public roads; 23% occurred within theft include motor vehicle theft and shoplifting, as well as businesses, including gas stations, service stations, and other forms of larceny-theft not categorized by the UCR. The convenience stores; and 19% occurred at other locations, category “other” includes pick-pocketing, purse-snatching, such as within houses of worship, on public transportation, coin-operated thefts, thefts involving items from behind a at schools, and within government offices.B fenced enclosure, the theft of animals, outdoor furniture and machinery, boats, jet skis, and airplanes.B
Larceny - Theft by Type B B Larceny-Theft by Type Location ofLocation Robbery of Robbery Motor Vehicle (24%)
ShopliftingMotor vehicle(22%) (24%) PublicPublic road Road(40%) Shoplifting (22%) BusinessBusiness (23%) Buildings (12%) Buildings (12%) Residence (17%) Residence Bank (2%) MotorMotor Vehicle vehicle accessories (7%) AccessoriesBicycles (7%)(3%) OtherBank (19%) BicyclesOther (3.6%) (35%) Other
Other (30%)
SOURCES A Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, Concate- nated File, 1992-2014, (U.S. Department of Justice) B FBI, Crime in the United States, 1995 - 2015, (U.S. Department of Justice), NOTES https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2015/crime-in-the-u.s.-2015/tables/ table-23 * Household theft is categorized as the taking (attempted or completed) of property by an individual who has a right to be in the house. Household burglary is categorized as the taking of property by an individual who has no right to be in the house. ** The FBI defines strong-arm tactics as the use of hands, arms, feet, fists, or teeth as a weapon.