California recorded 348 vehicle thefts per 100,000 residents in 2025, the highest rate of any U.S. state, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau and the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Theft rates were calculated using 2025 vehicle theft totals and Census Bureau Vintage 2025 state population estimates.

At the other end of the list, New Hampshire recorded just 40 thefts per 100,000 residents. That means California’s rate was nearly 8.7 times higher.

Put another way, roughly one in every 287 California residents had a vehicle stolen in 2025, compared with about one in every 2,500 residents in New Hampshire.

Both states operate under the same federal laws, have access to the same vehicle makes and models, and use the same broader insurance system. The difference is not the cars themselves; it’s the environment in which they are parked.

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Ranked, U.S. Car Theft By State

Source:

National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) | U.S. Census Bureau