Special Report

The Town With the Highest Rate of Property Crimes in Every State

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Communities and police departments across the United States are grappling with rising rates of deadly violence, as the U.S. murder rate reached its highest level in nearly two and a half decades in 2020. Despite the recent surge in homicides, however, most Americans face a far higher risk of being the victim of crimes that do not involve violence.

Property crimes, a broad category of theft-related offenses, are by far the most commonly reported of all major crimes in the United States, accounting for over 80% of the most serious offenses tracked and reported by the FBI. Property crimes fall into one of three categories: larceny, burglary, and vehicle theft. 

Larceny is defined as the unlawful taking of property — pickpocketing and shoplifting being two common examples — and is the most common form of property crime in the United States. Burglary, defined as the illegal entry of a structure to commit a crime, such as theft, is the most severe form of property crime tracked by the FBI. Vehicle-theft, meanwhile, is a crime that can be either the theft, or the attempted theft, of a vehicle, such a car, motorcycle, or ATV. 

There were a total 6.5 million property crimes reported in the U.S. in 2020, resulting in the theft of tens of billions of dollars worth of property — only a fraction of which has been recovered. In some towns, property crime is a particularly serious problem.

Using data from the FBI’s 2020 Uniform Crime Report, 24/7 Wall St. identified the town with the highest property crime rate in each state. Towns are ranked by the number of property crimes reported for every 100,000 people. We defined towns based on population thresholds, having at least 2,500 people and less than 25,000 people. In two states — Hawaii and Illinois — there are no qualifying towns with available crime data. 

Though each of the towns on this list ranks as having the highest property crime rate in its respective state, property crime rates in these places vary considerably, from 1,529 incidents per 100,000 people to 22,004 per 100,000 — over 11 times the national rate of 1,958 property crimes per 100,000 people. In every town on this list, the property crime rate exceeds the statewide rate.

Click here to see the town with the most property crimes in every state
Click here to see our detailed methodology

Alabama: Eufaula
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 3,941.9 (Alabama: 2,136.8)
> Total property crimes: 456 (Alabama: 105,161)
> Total larceny-thefts: 318 (Alabama: 74,575)
> Total burglaries: 95 (Alabama: 19,660)
> Total vehicle thefts: 43 (Alabama: 10,926)
> Population: 12,065

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Source: miracky / iStock via Getty Images

Alaska: Wasilla
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 3,037.1 (Alaska: 2,260.5)
> Total property crimes: 341 (Alaska: 16,528)
> Total larceny-thefts: 285 (Alaska: 11,784)
> Total burglaries: 27 (Alaska: 2,775)
> Total vehicle thefts: 29 (Alaska: 1,969)
> Population: 10,071

Arizona: Tolleson
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 12,168.7 (Arizona: 2,227.7)
> Total property crimes: 909 (Arizona: 165,323)
> Total larceny-thefts: 612 (Arizona: 122,898)
> Total burglaries: 200 (Arizona: 24,488)
> Total vehicle thefts: 97 (Arizona: 17,937)
> Population: 7,246

Arkansas: Newport
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 5,873.6 (Arkansas: 2,613.4)
> Total property crimes: 436 (Arkansas: 79,200)
> Total larceny-thefts: 301 (Arkansas: 55,413)
> Total burglaries: 120 (Arkansas: 15,854)
> Total vehicle thefts: 15 (Arkansas: 7,933)
> Population: 7,616

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Source: Laser1987 / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

California: Emeryville
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 11,753.7 (California: 2,138.9)
> Total property crimes: 1,449 (California: 842,054)
> Total larceny-thefts: 1,117 (California: 528,202)
> Total burglaries: 161 (California: 145,529)
> Total vehicle thefts: 171 (California: 168,323)
> Population: 11,899

Colorado: Glendale
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 17,242.0 (Colorado: 2,833.8)
> Total property crimes: 904 (Colorado: 164,582)
> Total larceny-thefts: 720 (Colorado: 110,884)
> Total burglaries: 34 (Colorado: 23,246)
> Total vehicle thefts: 150 (Colorado: 30,452)
> Population: 5,177

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Connecticut: Derby
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 3,004.6 (Connecticut: 1,565.1)
> Total property crimes: 369 (Connecticut: 55,670)
> Total larceny-thefts: 250 (Connecticut: 40,592)
> Total burglaries: 47 (Connecticut: 6,656)
> Total vehicle thefts: 72 (Connecticut: 8,422)
> Population: 12,485

Delaware: Camden
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 5,867.5 (Delaware: 1,961.4)
> Total property crimes: 209 (Delaware: 19,355)
> Total larceny-thefts: 204 (Delaware: 15,182)
> Total burglaries: 2 (Delaware: 2,508)
> Total vehicle thefts: 3 (Delaware: 1,665)
> Population: 3,484

Source: Courtesy of Town of Lake Park via Facebook

Florida: Lake Park
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 6,769.6 (Florida: 1,769.4)
> Total property crimes: 583 (Florida: 384,556)
> Total larceny-thefts: 524 (Florida: 293,992)
> Total burglaries: 22 (Florida: 52,293)
> Total vehicle thefts: 37 (Florida: 38,271)
> Population: 8,508

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Georgia: Morrow
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 7,492.8 (Georgia: 2,007.4)
> Total property crimes: 549 (Georgia: 214,988)
> Total larceny-thefts: 481 (Georgia: 158,343)
> Total burglaries: 21 (Georgia: 31,139)
> Total vehicle thefts: 47 (Georgia: 25,506)
> Population: 6,965

Source: Adam-Springer / Getty Images

Hawaii: No eligible towns
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: N/A (Hawaii: 2,411.4)
> Total property crimes: N/A (Hawaii: 33,928)
> Total larceny-thefts: N/A (Hawaii: 23,954)
> Total burglaries: N/A (Hawaii: 4,630)
> Total vehicle thefts: N/A (Hawaii: 5,344)
> Population: N/A

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Idaho: Chubbuck
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 2,295.1 (Idaho: 1,111.9)
> Total property crimes: 362 (Idaho: 20,313)
> Total larceny-thefts: 318 (Idaho: 14,815)
> Total burglaries: 24 (Idaho: 3,731)
> Total vehicle thefts: 20 (Idaho: 1,767)
> Population: 14,995

Source: marchello74 / Getty Images

Illinois: No eligible towns
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: N/A (Illinois: 1,559.4)
> Total property crimes: N/A (Illinois: 196,287)
> Total larceny-thefts: N/A (Illinois: 143,935)
> Total burglaries: N/A (Illinois: 31,020)
> Total vehicle thefts: N/A (Illinois: 21,332)
> Population: N/A

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Indiana: Winchester
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 5,028.1 (Indiana: 1,783.2)
> Total property crimes: 233 (Indiana: 120,453)
> Total larceny-thefts: 203 (Indiana: 86,080)
> Total burglaries: 16 (Indiana: 18,938)
> Total vehicle thefts: 14 (Indiana: 15,435)
> Population: 4,739

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Iowa: West Burlington
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 5,559.4 (Iowa: 1,698.2)
> Total property crimes: 160 (Iowa: 53,725)
> Total larceny-thefts: 138 (Iowa: 35,751)
> Total burglaries: 10 (Iowa: 11,739)
> Total vehicle thefts: 12 (Iowa: 6,235)
> Population: 2,927

Kansas: Merriam
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 6,115.3 (Kansas: 2,199.1)
> Total property crimes: 678 (Kansas: 64,077)
> Total larceny-thefts: 474 (Kansas: 47,193)
> Total burglaries: 58 (Kansas: 9,655)
> Total vehicle thefts: 146 (Kansas: 7,229)
> Population: 11,185

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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Kentucky: Fulton
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 5,558.2 (Kentucky: 1,779.5)
> Total property crimes: 116 (Kentucky: 79,673)
> Total larceny-thefts: 99 (Kentucky: 52,769)
> Total burglaries: 11 (Kentucky: 15,407)
> Total vehicle thefts: 6 (Kentucky: 11,497)
> Population: 2,592

Louisiana: Gonzales
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 9,790.8 (Louisiana: 2,884.4)
> Total property crimes: 1,086 (Louisiana: 133,989)
> Total larceny-thefts: 1,003 (Louisiana: 97,891)
> Total burglaries: 46 (Louisiana: 23,698)
> Total vehicle thefts: 37 (Louisiana: 12,400)
> Population: 10,789

Maine: Augusta
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 3,307.8 (Maine: 1,156.2)
> Total property crimes: 617 (Maine: 15,610)
> Total larceny-thefts: 524 (Maine: 12,739)
> Total burglaries: 75 (Maine: 2,009)
> Total vehicle thefts: 18 (Maine: 862)
> Population: 18,605

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Maryland: Takoma Park
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 2,630.3 (Maryland: 1,609.8)
> Total property crimes: 469 (Maryland: 97,487)
> Total larceny-thefts: 402 (Maryland: 71,757)
> Total burglaries: 34 (Maryland: 15,261)
> Total vehicle thefts: 33 (Maryland: 10,469)
> Population: 17,672

Massachusetts: Avon
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 3,420.3 (Massachusetts: 1,053.2)
> Total property crimes: 156 (Massachusetts: 72,602)
> Total larceny-thefts: 143 (Massachusetts: 55,444)
> Total burglaries: 8 (Massachusetts: 10,323)
> Total vehicle thefts: 5 (Massachusetts: 6,835)
> Population: 4,500

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Michigan: Roosevelt Park
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 5,668.3 (Michigan: 1,360.9)
> Total property crimes: 215 (Michigan: 135,633)
> Total larceny-thefts: 205 (Michigan: 94,017)
> Total burglaries: 6 (Michigan: 23,231)
> Total vehicle thefts: 4 (Michigan: 18,385)
> Population: 3,789

Minnesota: Waite Park
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 10,112.6 (Minnesota: 2,124.9)
> Total property crimes: 790 (Minnesota: 120,212)
> Total larceny-thefts: 720 (Minnesota: 88,696)
> Total burglaries: 44 (Minnesota: 17,370)
> Total vehicle thefts: 26 (Minnesota: 14,146)
> Population: 7,692

Mississippi: Cleveland
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 6,195.2 (Mississippi: 2,101.6)
> Total property crimes: 678 (Mississippi: 62,351)
> Total larceny-thefts: 538 (Mississippi: 41,780)
> Total burglaries: 81 (Mississippi: 14,488)
> Total vehicle thefts: 59 (Mississippi: 6,083)
> Population: 11,627

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Missouri: North Kansas City
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 10,725.9 (Missouri: 2,531.0)
> Total property crimes: 495 (Missouri: 155,698)
> Total larceny-thefts: 361 (Missouri: 108,209)
> Total burglaries: 24 (Missouri: 23,300)
> Total vehicle thefts: 110 (Missouri: 24,189)
> Population: 4,477

Source: David Butler / iStock via Getty Images

Montana: Polson
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 3,206.3 (Montana: 2,120.8)
> Total property crimes: 164 (Montana: 22,917)
> Total larceny-thefts: 137 (Montana: 17,322)
> Total burglaries: 12 (Montana: 2,919)
> Total vehicle thefts: 15 (Montana: 2,676)
> Population: 4,918

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Nebraska: North Platte
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 3,485.9 (Nebraska: 1,909.2)
> Total property crimes: 820 (Nebraska: 36,991)
> Total larceny-thefts: 649 (Nebraska: 27,488)
> Total burglaries: 105 (Nebraska: 4,455)
> Total vehicle thefts: 66 (Nebraska: 5,048)
> Population: 23,892

Source: jmoor17 / Getty Images

Nevada: Elko
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 2,942.5 (Nevada: 1,926.6)
> Total property crimes: 609 (Nevada: 60,462)
> Total larceny-thefts: 401 (Nevada: 38,332)
> Total burglaries: 126 (Nevada: 11,574)
> Total vehicle thefts: 82 (Nevada: 10,556)
> Population: 20,304

New Hampshire: Tilton
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 4,963.3 (New Hampshire: 1,098.9)
> Total property crimes: 176 (New Hampshire: 15,014)
> Total larceny-thefts: 155 (New Hampshire: 12,558)
> Total burglaries: 14 (New Hampshire: 1,412)
> Total vehicle thefts: 7 (New Hampshire: 1,044)
> Population: 3,551

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Source: Creative-Family / iStock via Getty Images

New Jersey: Wildwood
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 6,723.7 (New Jersey: 1,158.2)
> Total property crimes: 330 (New Jersey: 102,875)
> Total larceny-thefts: 281 (New Jersey: 79,614)
> Total burglaries: 44 (New Jersey: 12,983)
> Total vehicle thefts: 5 (New Jersey: 10,278)
> Population: 5,042

Source: EunikaSopotnicka / iStock via Getty Images

New Mexico: Taos
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 4,884.2 (New Mexico: 2,841.9)
> Total property crimes: 289 (New Mexico: 59,859)
> Total larceny-thefts: 209 (New Mexico: 37,188)
> Total burglaries: 53 (New Mexico: 13,665)
> Total vehicle thefts: 27 (New Mexico: 9,006)
> Population: 5,967

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New York: Oneida
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 4,415.2 (New York: 1,410.7)
> Total property crimes: 479 (New York: 272,788)
> Total larceny-thefts: 417 (New York: 221,129)
> Total burglaries: 55 (New York: 32,003)
> Total vehicle thefts: 7 (New York: 19,656)
> Population: 10,948

Source: J. Michael Jones / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

North Carolina: Pineville
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 10,353.8 (North Carolina: 2,226.5)
> Total property crimes: 954 (North Carolina: 236,026)
> Total larceny-thefts: 760 (North Carolina: 165,554)
> Total burglaries: 129 (North Carolina: 49,952)
> Total vehicle thefts: 65 (North Carolina: 20,520)
> Population: 8,749

North Dakota: Mandan
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 4,220.3 (North Dakota: 2,124.1)
> Total property crimes: 980 (North Dakota: 16,256)
> Total larceny-thefts: 656 (North Dakota: 10,986)
> Total burglaries: 212 (North Dakota: 3,196)
> Total vehicle thefts: 112 (North Dakota: 2,074)
> Population: 22,301

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Source: Wendy Van / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Ohio: Gallipolis
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 7,952.6 (Ohio: 1,850.3)
> Total property crimes: 282 (Ohio: 216,363)
> Total larceny-thefts: 252 (Ohio: 159,007)
> Total burglaries: 18 (Ohio: 37,279)
> Total vehicle thefts: 12 (Ohio: 20,077)
> Population: 3,710

Oklahoma: Idabel
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 6,386.4 (Oklahoma: 2,705.6)
> Total property crimes: 436 (Oklahoma: 107,705)
> Total larceny-thefts: 320 (Oklahoma: 68,243)
> Total burglaries: 102 (Oklahoma: 24,415)
> Total vehicle thefts: 14 (Oklahoma: 15,047)
> Population: 6,924

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Source: tfoxfoto / iStock via Getty Images

Oregon: Warrenton
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 6,405.6 (Oregon: 2,659.0)
> Total property crimes: 373 (Oregon: 112,782)
> Total larceny-thefts: 335 (Oregon: 81,811)
> Total burglaries: 29 (Oregon: 14,386)
> Total vehicle thefts: 9 (Oregon: 16,585)
> Population: 5,549

Pennsylvania: Kittanning
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 3,927.4 (Pennsylvania: 1,644.1)
> Total property crimes: 145 (Pennsylvania: 210,167)
> Total larceny-thefts: 112 (Pennsylvania: 162,919)
> Total burglaries: 30 (Pennsylvania: 31,774)
> Total vehicle thefts: 3 (Pennsylvania: 15,474)
> Population: 3,789

Source: Joshua McDonough / Getty Images

Rhode Island: Newport
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 1,528.8 (Rhode Island: 1,245.5)
> Total property crimes: 370 (Rhode Island: 13,166)
> Total larceny-thefts: 295 (Rhode Island: 9,894)
> Total burglaries: 50 (Rhode Island: 1,763)
> Total vehicle thefts: 25 (Rhode Island: 1,509)
> Population: 24,663

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South Carolina: Manning
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 9,278.9 (South Carolina: 2,721.1)
> Total property crimes: 359 (South Carolina: 141,987)
> Total larceny-thefts: 303 (South Carolina: 103,892)
> Total burglaries: 43 (South Carolina: 23,377)
> Total vehicle thefts: 13 (South Carolina: 14,718)
> Population: 3,943

Source: Lorraine Boogich / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

South Dakota: Mitchell
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 3,306.6 (South Dakota: 1,956.7)
> Total property crimes: 520 (South Dakota: 17,468)
> Total larceny-thefts: 379 (South Dakota: 12,117)
> Total burglaries: 66 (South Dakota: 3,036)
> Total vehicle thefts: 75 (South Dakota: 2,315)
> Population: 15,727

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Tennessee: Newport
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 7,180.2 (Tennessee: 2,492.8)
> Total property crimes: 494 (Tennessee: 171,675)
> Total larceny-thefts: 382 (Tennessee: 124,098)
> Total burglaries: 57 (Tennessee: 26,479)
> Total vehicle thefts: 55 (Tennessee: 21,098)
> Population: 6,848

Texas: South Padre Island
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 13,492.1 (Texas: 2,245.0)
> Total property crimes: 374 (Texas: 659,160)
> Total larceny-thefts: 337 (Texas: 466,033)
> Total burglaries: 25 (Texas: 108,851)
> Total vehicle thefts: 12 (Texas: 84,276)
> Population: 2,818

Utah: Harrisville
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 5,079.0 (Utah: 2,464.4)
> Total property crimes: 357 (Utah: 80,091)
> Total larceny-thefts: 310 (Utah: 60,359)
> Total burglaries: 28 (Utah: 9,444)
> Total vehicle thefts: 19 (Utah: 10,288)
> Population: 6,510

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Vermont: Brattleboro
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 4,068.9 (Vermont: 1,217.0)
> Total property crimes: 458 (Vermont: 7,586)
> Total larceny-thefts: 403 (Vermont: 6,361)
> Total burglaries: 40 (Vermont: 961)
> Total vehicle thefts: 15 (Vermont: 264)
> Population: 11,524

Source: Joshua Moore / iStock via Getty Images

Virginia: Norton
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 5,610.1 (Virginia: 1,456.4)
> Total property crimes: 223 (Virginia: 125,114)
> Total larceny-thefts: 206 (Virginia: 102,796)
> Total burglaries: 5 (Virginia: 11,465)
> Total vehicle thefts: 12 (Virginia: 10,853)
> Population: 3,970

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Source: gmc3101 / iStock via Getty Images

Washington: Tukwila
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 14,416.8 (Washington: 2,732.4)
> Total property crimes: 2,953 (Washington: 210,223)
> Total larceny-thefts: 2,201 (Washington: 142,657)
> Total burglaries: 222 (Washington: 40,167)
> Total vehicle thefts: 530 (Washington: 27,399)
> Population: 20,196

Source: Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

West Virginia: South Charleston
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 5,782.5 (West Virginia: 1,399.4)
> Total property crimes: 688 (West Virginia: 24,976)
> Total larceny-thefts: 590 (West Virginia: 17,828)
> Total burglaries: 61 (West Virginia: 4,877)
> Total vehicle thefts: 37 (West Virginia: 2,271)
> Population: 12,475

Wisconsin: West Milwaukee
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 22,004.4 (Wisconsin: 1,485.7)
> Total property crimes: 898 (Wisconsin: 86,654)
> Total larceny-thefts: 821 (Wisconsin: 64,517)
> Total burglaries: 40 (Wisconsin: 12,744)
> Total vehicle thefts: 37 (Wisconsin: 9,393)
> Population: 4,146

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Wyoming: Riverton
> 2020 property crimes per 100K people: 4,233.2 (Wyoming: 1,610.6)
> Total property crimes: 456 (Wyoming: 9,379)
> Total larceny-thefts: 343 (Wyoming: 7,190)
> Total burglaries: 46 (Wyoming: 1,225)
> Total vehicle thefts: 67 (Wyoming: 964)
> Population: 10,891

Methodology

To determine the town with the most property crime in every state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed property crime figures from the FBI’s 2020 Uniform Crime Report. Property crime includes larceny-theft, burglary, and motor vehicle theft. 

We defined towns based on population thresholds — having at least 2,500 people and less than 25,000 people — using five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey. Limited data were available in the 2020 UCR for areas in Alabama, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Illinois, though these states were not excluded from analysis.

All property crime figures came from the 2020 FBI UCR. Population figures are five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey. However, these estimates were not used to calculate crime rates. Crime rates per 100,000 people were calculated using population figures provided by the FBI in the 2020 UCR.

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