If you don’t make a habit of looking at residential burglary statistics, you might not realize exactly how common break-ins and thefts from apartment residences really are. Most media coverage of burglaries and home invasions tends to focus on condominiums and freestanding houses, with some coverage of the situation when it comes to row houses and flats, but very little focusing on high-population-density apartment housing. The fact of the matter is that break-ins are fairly equally distributed between apartment dwellings and single-family homes in most states, so your odds of an apartment break-in are not that different from your odds of experiencing one in another kind of home.
National Numbers13
There were 1.6 million burglaries in 2015, the most recent year for which full numbers are available. Of those, 72 percent were residential break-ins. That means between 400,000 and 500,000 of them were actually break-ins at businesses. Of the remaining million-plus, the distribution was not uniform nationally. States in the north and west tended to have lower numbers of break-ins for their population. Southern states, including Appalachian states and Texas, tended to have the highest risks of residential theft.
Highest and Lowest Burglary States
If you’re wondering exactly which states had the highest risk of burglary, here they are. The top states on this list have break-in rates as much as 4 times higher than the lowest-risk states. All of these numbers are also based on the 2015 statistics on burglary.
- Mississippi
- New Mexico
- Nevada
- Arkansas
- Louisiana
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- Alabama
The lowest-ranking states were:
- New York
- Virginia
- New Hampshire
- Connecticut
- Wyoming
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- Vermont
Understanding Motivations for Burglary
If you’re wondering whether or not you’re likely to be a target, there are a few facts about the behavior of burglars and break-in thieves that you need to understand:
- Most break-ins are a matter of opportunity—58.1 percent of them involve little to no planning
- Only a few burglaries can be traced to long premeditation, so you’re not likely to see someone casing your home or apartment several times
- The vast majority of break-ins are motivated by the hope of finding money or valuables to sell for drugs
- Because of the last item, areas with higher drug crime have correspondingly higher break-in rates
- Trends in burglaries nationwide tend to mirror other trends, such as poverty and harsh drug criminalization
- Most thieves would rather grab cash, jewelry, or illegal drugs than electronics, though they are still high on the list
Protecting Yourself
The best way to protect your residence is with a robust insurance policy from a carrier you can trust to provide you with the robust coverage you need. When you work with bolt Insurance, you get that advantage, as well as access to our quote interview designed to help you compare coverage options, choose the best one, and save on your policy. Don’t skip out on coverage just because you’re renting—our renter’s insurance policies are designed to provide comprehensive coverage while respecting your budget. With more and more Americans relying on rental housing to accommodate a more mobile lifestyle, it’s a smart choice to protect your home and belongings.
