Homes are our sanctuaries, they are the places we spend the most time and feel safest in. Sadly thousands of American homes are burgled every year with a range of valuables stolen leaving many Americans feeling unsafe in their own homes.
Here at Elite Fixtures we wondered just how many homes are burgled in America? where do these burglaries happen the most? and has there been a change in the amount of burglaries with the rise of smart home security technology?
To answer these questions we scoured data from the US Justice Department alongside Google Trends search data and came up with some interesting results.
It appears that Southern manners go out the window (most likely with some of your valuables too) when it comes to burglary rates with the South having nearly 581 burglaries per 100,000 people, if you live here make sure to lock that deadbolt! If you live in the North East you’re the safest when it comes to burglaries with just under 277 burglaries taking place per 100,000 people.
If you live in New Mexico don’t forget to close those windows and lock those doors as with 830 burglaries per 100,000 people, New Mexico is the most burgled state in America alongside Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.
Surprisingly New York is the least burgled state with only 201 burglaries per 100,000 people. Other more secure home states include New Hampshire, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.
Burglars are bold it seems with the majority of burglaries taking place in the broad daylight with an average $2,258 in valuables stolen. Nighttime burglaries are less common and burglars tend to come away with less valuables with an average of $1,913 of valuables stolen.
Thankfully though the number of reported burglaries per year is decreasing with a dramatic decrease starting in 2012 and the downward trend continuing. This decrease made us wonder if the rise of smart home security devices has contributed in any way so we investigated further.
When it comes to smart home security Utah residents are searching for these devices the most alongside Georgia, Maryland, and North Carolina.
Oklahoma wants some recorded piece of most and is the number one state searching for security cameras. Other states searching for these deterrents include Louisiana, Nevada, and West Virginia.
Interestingly when we look at security camera and smart home security searches we can see that from 2012 there has been a consistent increase in searches which may of had a positive effect on the decline in reported burglaries since 2012.
So there you have it, smart home security is on the rise and burglary rates are going down, the least burgled state is New York, and if you live in the North East you’re the safest when it comes to risk of burglary.