SALT LAKE CITY — If you live in Salt Lake City or West Valley City the chances of having your vehicle stolen are higher than average.
According to a new study, in those two Utah towns, car theft is nearly 2.5 times higher than the national average, which is two cars stolen for every 1,000 people.
West Valley was number 14 on the list followed by Salt Lake City at number 15. Oakland, California has the highest rate of auto theft in the country, according to the study.
The study used the most recent FBI data from 236 cities to determine which metro areas gave the highest number of car thefts.
Report highlights include:
- 75% of the top 20 cities for car theft are found in Western States.
- 3 of the top 5 cities with the most car thefts are in Northern California.
- Ohio and Missouri are the only Midwestern states with cities in the top 20.
- Oklahoma is the only southern state with a city in the top 20.
Additional car theft facts:
- Halloween was the most common holiday for car theft in 2016.
- The most commonly stolen cars are the Honda Civic and Honda Accord (older models).
- The national average for car thefts in 2017 was 2 cars per 1,000 people.
- Car thefts increased 4.1% during the first half of 2017 compared to the first half of 2016.
- The average loss per car theft was $7,680 in 2016.
- 1 in 8 stolen vehicles had the keys left inside by the owner in 2015.
