Dec 8, 2021 - News
Chicago's surprising car theft ranking
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With so many high profile carjackings this year, it may be hard to believe Chicago's per capita car thefts last year were lower than in many other big U.S. cities.
Why it matters: Like a lot of Chicagoans, we're alarmed by local crime statistics but think it's important to highlight where we are doing better comparatively.
By the numbers: Chicago ranked fifth out of 18 cities in a study of 2020 data by insurance site Compare.com
- We had 362 incidents per 100,000 residents compared to 5,139 in list-leading Denver.
- Researchers defined "incidents" as auto theft and burglary as well as attempted auto theft and burglary.
Car theft timing: Monday and Friday are the riskiest days for car thefts and break-ins, according to the report.
- Most vehicle incidents happened from 5 to 10pm.
The rest of the list: New York City, Boston, Dallas and San Diego showed lower car thefts per capita than Chicago.