Our State of Safety poll indicates that break-ins rank among the most concerning property crimes in the United States.
We’ve compiled the most startling house burglary facts and figures to assist people understand what a burglary is and to feel safer in their homes.
We continued after that. We’ve also provided important safety advice and actions you may take to safeguard your house and possessions.
1. On average, a burglary happens once every 30 seconds.
According to the FBI statistics, a burglar strikes close to every 30 seconds in the US (30.48 seconds to be exact). That adds up to two burglaries every minute and over 3,000 burglaries per day.
Despite that, break-ins and burglaries came in as the second most-mentioned property crime worry in the State of Safety Survey.2
Despite a high level of concern, only 38% of Americans told us they have a home security system to protect their property from burglary.
2. The average loss from a burglary is $2,661.
You’re looking at a loss of almost $3,000 if your home is burgled. That’s a big chunk of change—especially for those living paycheck to paycheck.
In addition to the monetary cost, burglaries also take a big emotional toll. You may need to recover from a financial setback at the same time that you’re mourning the loss of things with sentimental value and the feeling of safety you had before the break-in.
We surveyed nearly 700 people who’ve experienced a burglary, and 50% of them told us that the burglar stole or damaged items that were irreplaceable or had sentimental value.
When we asked how their life was impacted by the burglary, 67% said their emotional and mental health took a hit, along with 63% who had trouble sleeping afterward.
3. People worry about burglary more than any other property crime.
Home break-ins are the most feared property crime, according to our latest State of Safety survey. People between the ages of 18 and 34 were slightly more concerned about break-ins than people 35 and older. People living in rural areas were half as likely to worry about burglary as people living in urban and suburban areas.
That concern beat out other property crime worries such as having your property stolen (in real life or online) or someone stealing your car.
4. Burglaries usually happen in the middle of the day.
When do most break-ins happen? It seems counter-intuitive, but most burglaries occur in the bright light of day instead of under the cover of darkness. More specifically, if you’re wondering when most break-ins happen, it’s after lunch.
When do most burglaries occur? A 2016 burglary victimization survey revealed that the most common time for burglaries was between noon and 4 p.m.
FBI burglary data in 2022 showed that 239,137 of all reported residential burglaries occurred in the daytime compared to 184,846 at night. But out of those evening burglaries, what time do most robberies occur at night? Studies have found varied hours throughout the night until dawn.
What’s the difference between home invasion and burglary?
All home invasions are a type of burglary, but not all burglaries are home invasions.
Burglary is defined as the unlawful entry into a structure with the intent to commit a crime. Home invasion requires forcible entry into the structure. Forcible entry includes both physical force and threats of force.
People also often wonder about the physical threat of a home invasion vs. a burglary, asking questions like, “Do burglars kill?” and “Are home break-ins always violent?” Home break-ins are more likely to occur while you’re away, so burglaries are less likely to end up in violence and death than other crimes.
5. Burglaries are more frequent during the summer months.
Warmer temperatures are tied to an increase in burglaries. On average, burglaries rise about 10% between June and August.
More people were burglarized in June (regardless of the year) than in any other month, according to our burglary survey. June accounted for 11.3% of the burglaries experienced by respondents.
March and April had the next-highest numbers of burglaries with 10.3% and 10.9%, respectively.
6. Rural states see more burglaries than those with big metropolitan hubs.
You’d expect New York and California to have more burglaries per capita, but they’re actually near the bottom of the list.
In fact, New Mexico is the most burglarized state in the US, along with other rural states including Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.
In New Mexico’s most recent FBI-reported stats, burglaries comprised 23% of the state’s property crimes, compared to the national average of 16%.
7. Renters are burglarized more often than homeowners.
According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, burglars hit renters more frequently than homeowners—and that’s been the trend for decades.
But the gap is closing. In 1994, there were 68 burglaries per 1,000 rented households, compared to 44 per 1,000 for owned homes. In 2011, those rates decreased to 33 burglaries per 1,000 for renters and 18 for homeowners.
Our survey results found that 28% of renters experienced a property crime in 2021 compared to 27% of homeowners.
8. Burglaries have increased since 2021.
Unfortunately, the number of burglaries has recently gone up. The number of reported burglary offenses increased from 671,648 in 2021 to 847,522 in 2022. However, this property crime has declined considerably over the past two decades.
FBI data from 1994 indicates that American households experienced 2,362,539 burglaries, though other sources say burglaries that year topped 6 million.7
How to protect your home from a burglary
Even though burglaries have declined compared to the 1990s, the $463 billion of stolen property in 2022 can’t be ignored.
We found that only 28% of Americans use a security system to protect their property and loved ones, and 24% don’t do anything at all to deter burglars.2
But studies show security systems do work. A 2017 study published in Crime Science points to increased security system use as the cause of decreasing burglary rates in England and Wales. And a 2018 survey of people convicted of burglary found that over 60% would skip a home obviously protected by security equipment.
