United States vehicle thefts decline across all 50 states

Vehicle thefts in the United States have declined across all 50 states during the first half of 2026. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), thefts fell 21 percent compared to the same period in 2025. While 268,415 vehicles were reported stolen in the first six months of the year, the trend follows a multi-year downward trajectory after pandemic-era spikes.

Significant regional declines were noted in the District of Columbia, which saw a 52 percent drop, and Tennessee, which recorded a 42 percent decrease. Although California reported the highest total number of stolen vehicles at 57,821, it also experienced a year-over-year decline. In major metropolitan areas, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim saw the most thefts, while Chicago was the only major metro area among the top ten to report a slight increase.

In San Francisco, car thefts decreased by nearly 59 percent for the first eight months of 2026 compared to 2022, with car break-ins dropping by over 82 percent. Law enforcement officials attribute this decline to increased use of surveillance technology, specifically AI-powered automated license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras from Flock Safety and the use of drones, following the voter approval of Proposition E in 2024.