Crime rates affect a good portion of our everyday lives, influencing our economic and lifestyle decisions—like how we invest or save money, or whether we move to another area. Home invasion statistics can help you make well-informed decisions, whether you’re thinking of getting home insurance or buying a firearm, a smart lock, or a new home.
Despite the last decade’s lowering property crime rates, we must consider the journey ahead—likely paved with coronavirus-related consequences that may leave many desperate, and therefore dangerous. The following home invasion data—broken down by location, type, rates, and risks—can help you avoid trouble and defend your right to peace of mind, so read on.
The Top 10 Key Home Invasion Facts and Statistics
- There were 1.23 million burglaries in the US in 2018.
- Approximately 21.1 in 1,000 households experienced trespassing or burglary in 2018.
- There are around 100 burglaries that result in homicide every year in the United States.
- The number of burglaries fell by more than 50% over the last 20 years.
- 44% of break-ins in the US happen in the South.
- New Mexico has the highest rate of burglaries.
- Detroit doesn’t have the highest burglary rates, despite being at the top of the list of deadliest cities in America.
- In the US, about a third of home invasions are repeat burglaries.
- The typical burglar in 2018 was a white male aged 18 to 24.
- Only 30% of perpetrators were armed in the case of a home invasion.
Burglary and Home Invasion Statistics & Trends in the US
In this section, we’ll be looking at home invasions in the United States. After reading this, you’ll be checking on your home insurance right away.
1. There were 1.23 million burglaries in the US in 2018.
(Statista, FBI)
Burglaries accounted for 17.1% of 2018’s total number of committed property crimes. The FBI’s data for 2018 show that there were around 7.2 million property crimes this year, encompassing burglaries, larceny-thefts, and motor vehicle thefts.
The nationwide average burglary rate for 2018 was estimated at 376 burglaries committed per 100,000 population.
2. 65.5% of the total number of burglaries committed in 2018 were in the category of home burglary, statistics reveal.
(FBI)
The FBI’s figures for 2018 show that nearly two-thirds of the total number of burglaries were home invasion burglaries (around 685,766 total). Of these, the biggest share (56.7%) were committed by forcible entry, 36.7% were unlawful entries, and 6.6% were attempted via forcible entry.
3. There are around 100 burglaries that result in homicide every year in the United States.
(Politifact)
Home invasion murders statistics are actually lower than many people believe. In fact, in many cases, burglars are not armed with guns. Protection against home invasion is one of the reasons that people who own guns buy them.
4. Approximately 21.1 in 1,000 households experienced trespassing or burglary in 2018, United States burglary statistics reveal.
(BJS)
The newest survey results published by the Bureau of Justice for 2018 indicate that there were 2,639,620 residential trespasses and burglaries committed in the US in that year, excluding land trespassing.
Based on the 2018 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), there were around 13.5 million property victimizations in US households, including burglaries, residential trespassing, motor-vehicle theft, and other thefts. The rate of property victimization in 2018 was estimated at 108.2 per 1,000 households.
5. Burglary offenses dropped by nearly 12% between 2017 and 2018, crime statistics confirm.
(FBI, Pew Research, Disaster Center)
The 2018 crime rates for each segment of property offenses also decreased significantly between 2017 and 2018, with the biggest drop observed in burglaries (11.9%). Data on the number of burglaries by year show that the incidence of break-ins has nearly halved since 2008 when there were 2.23 million reported burglaries.
Furthermore, the newest preliminary FBI report for 2019 shows a decrease in burglary numbers by 11.1%.
6. The number of burglaries fell by more than 50% over the last 20 years, burglary facts reveal.
(Statista)
Along with other crime rates, the number of burglary cases in the US fell by a whopping 47.3% between 1998 and 2018. Over the last 30 years, the US’s historic high was reached in 1991 when there were 3.16 million reported break-ins.
7. The coronavirus-induced lockdown may have decreased violent home invasion statistics in 2020.
(Gun Violence Archive)
The gun violence archive data show 29 killed and 53 injured in cases of home invasions in March 2020—figures that are slightly lower than those for January and February, when the coronavirus outbreak had a minimal presence in the US, comparatively.
Namely, violent home invasions in February resulted in 37 deaths and 49 injured individuals, and in January, there were 33 household members killed and 66 injured.
Burglary Statistics by Zip Code
Where you live may matter more when it comes to home invasion than whether or not you’ve recently remodeled your home to create the perfect house.
8. 44% of break-ins in the US happen in the South.
(Statista)
The burglary crime rates are not equally distributed across the US, and 2018’s figures show that the greatest share of them took place in the South.
The Northeast counted only 8.8% of burglaries and was the safest region in terms of this type of crime. The West, on the other hand, was second regarding the percentage of burglary cases, which represented 27.4% of the total numbers. Finally, the Midwest accounted for 19.2% of the overall burglary figures in 2018.
9. New Mexico has the highest rate of burglaries, home invasion statistics by state reveal.
(Statista)
With a burglary rate of 767.8 per 100,000 population, New Mexico had the greatest incidence of break-ins for 2018. Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Louisiana ranked next to New Mexico, with 697.8, 681.1, and 668.1 burglary cases per 100,000, respectively.
The lowest crime rate in the US in terms of burglary numbers per 100,000 population was documented in the states of New Hampshire (136.2), New York (159.3), and Virginia (182.8).
10. There are on average 5,459 violent home break-ins per year in Las Vegas, home invasion statistics confirm.
(LVDG, AreaVibes, Ariron)
The overall crime rate in Las Vegas, NV, is higher than the national average by 33%, and property crime surpasses the national average by 29%. The average burglary rate is estimated at 727.8 per 100,000 population, and the violent home invasion rates are an average of 8.63 break-ins per 1,000 inhabitants.
As a note, Nevada law makes a clear distinction between burglary vs. robbery as a criminal offense. Unlike burglary, robbery must occur in the presence of the victim, whereas burglary can be done in a property or vehicle that is not inhabited.
11. Burglary statistics for 2018 show that Point Lake Charles, LA, is the US metropolitan area with the highest burglary rate.
(Statista)
With a staggering 1,576 burglary cases per 100,000 inhabitants, Lake Charles, LA, is the worst metropolitan area in terms of a home invasion.
Hot Springs, AR; Monroe, LA; and Hammond, LA are also among the top four based on their burglary rates of 1,422, 1,183, and 1,162 per 100,000 inhabitants. This year, as many as seven metropolitan areas in Los Angeles were listed in the top 30 by burglary rate.
12. Burglary and home invasion statistics show the highest rates in cities with populations of 500,000 to 999,999.
(UCR FBI)
Contrary to what one may think, burglary offenses in 2018 were more common in medium-large cities, not in the biggest metropolitan areas.
In comparison, the burglary rates by forcible entry in rural areas were 150.3 burglaries per 100,000 population—or 2.6 times lower than what’s found in the cities counting 500,000–999,999 inhabitants—and the rates for unlawful entry burglaries were 1.8 times lower (109.7).
13. Detroit doesn’t have the highest burglary rates, despite being at the top of the list of deadliest cities in America, crime statistics reveal.
(Statista, CBS News, FBI, Macro Trends)
With about 2,008 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, Detroit was named the most dangerous city in the US for 2018. Memphis was second, contributing to the national crime rates with some 1,943 crimes involving violence per 100,000 inhabitants.
However, Detroit does not rank as high when it comes to burglary and home invasion crimes specifically. Notably, the property crime rate for Detroit in 2018 was estimated at 4,304.79 per 100,000, with a burglary rate of 1,154.9.
Additional House Burglary Facts & Stats
In this section, we’ll be looking at general statistics and facts surrounding home burglaries.
14. In the US, about a third of home invasions are repeat burglaries.
(Protect Your Home)
Based on the results of a study conducted in Florida, a quarter of burglarized households saw a repeat of this experience within one week after the first burglary.
Furthermore, this same study reveals that more than half (51%) of the households invaded with the intent of burglary suffer repeated attempts of burglary within the first month of the first offense.
All of these stats may make you want to look into purchasing a smart home security device to ensure that you don’t become a victim of home invasion.
15. In 2018, there were 361,622 offenses characterized as commercial burglary, statistics confirm.
(UCR FBI)
34.5% of the burglaries committed in 2018 were non-residential or commercial—taking place in an office, store, or other commercial property.
Non-residential burglary stats by year show a decrease of almost 28% in these types of burglaries between 2017 and 2018. The majority of known commercial burglary cases in 2018 were perpetrated at night (161,828), and 128,137 were committed during the day.
16. The median value of stolen property per home burglary is $8,407 as per FBI home invasion statistics.
(FBI, Statista, UCR FBI)
FBI data shows that the collective damage to the victims of property crime in 2018 was an estimated $16.4 billion, out of which $3.4 billion in losses were the result of burglaries.
This represents an average loss of $2,833 per burglary taking place at night and $3,199 for a daytime burglary in commercial properties. Among residences, the average damage of stolen property by home invasion at night was $2,799, some $398 more in comparison with the value of the stolen property by day, which is estimated at $2,401.
17. In Australia, the home invasion statistics reveal that 20.3% of Australian homes have been burgled.
(Budget Direct)
In 2015, Australia was ranked 5th in the world by burglary rate, and in 2017, every 3 minutes a break-in was committed.
Just in the period from 2016 to 2017, around 2.5% of Australian homes suffered at least one break-in. Around 2.1% of Australian households were targeted for burglary during the 2016–2017 period. According to home invasion statistics by country in 2017, the Australian households in the Northern Territory had the highest percentage of break-ins (4%), accounting for 1.4% of all burglaries committed in that year.
18. Home invasion statistics for the UK show that there were 402,000 burglaries in England and Wales in 2019/2020.
(Statista)
There were around 40,000 fewer burglaries in that year than there were in the previous year.
19. Home invasion statistics for Canada show that there were 161,291 burglaries in 2019.
(Statista)
This number was relatively the same for the previous four years as well. The number of burglaries in Canada was much higher in the early 2000s, and we’ve seen a massive decrease since 2004.
20. House burglary statistics show that the typical burglar in 2018 was a white male aged 18 to 24.
(Statista, FBI)
FBI figures show that there were 54.9 arrests on average per 100,000 inhabitants for burglary offenses in 2018. In 61.1% of arrests made for burglary, the perpetrators were white, and around 20% of them were female.
The biggest share (54.5%) of the total of 135,918 arrested burglars in 2018 were aged 18–34, of which 22.6% were aged 18 to 24, the age subgroup committing the most break-in offenses.
21. Only 30% of perpetrators were armed in the case of a home invasion, gun statistics reveal.
(BJS)
Following the results of the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) published by the US Bureau of Justice Statistics in 2010, a member of a household was present in about 28% of the committed break-ins between 2003 and 2007.
In 63% of the cases, the household members were faced with an unarmed offender, and around 92% of them were left unharmed. In case you were wondering how many home invasions were stopped by guns, it’s important to note that the majority of home invaders are unarmed themselves.
While 7% of all home invasions in this period resulted in an injury, killings were very rare. Namely, of the overall burglaries with fatal consequences, only 0.004% were due to household burglaries.
Conclusion
These property crime figures serve to help us rationally weigh our chances of encountering trouble, and they show us how to potentially prevent it. Whether you own your home or are renting your home, getting a vigilance camera or a guard dog are just some of the ways you can protect yourself. With many of us already having too much on our plate, we shouldn’t let anyone stand in our way to peace of mind. Hence, we need to direct ourselves toward better security and comfort, hopefully by leaning on the essential information that these home invasion statistics leading up to 2022 provide.
FAQ
How likely is a home invasion?
From 2014 to 2018, the rate of home invasions decreased significantly (by 6.5%), along with all other subtypes of property crimes, following the FBI’s semiannual report. In 2018, according to the annual survey conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, around 21.1 out of 1,000 households experienced burglaries or trespassing in their residential structure.
(BJS)
What percentage of burglars are armed?
Based on the BJS report encompassing the period between 2003 and 2007, only about 30% of burglars operating in a household were armed, inflicting harm on only 7% of encountered victims.
(BJS)
How many home invasions are there per year?
In 2018 there were 2.64 million property trespasses and burglaries, of which up to 1.73 million were categorized as burglaries. Home invasions were estimated as 33% of these burglaries.
(BJS)
What state has the most home invasions?
New Mexico had the most home invasions in 2019. The state had around 696.8 incidents per a population of 100,000. Oklahoma came in with the second-highest number of home invasions in the United States.
(Statista)
What time do most home invasions happen?
A survey in 2016 discovered that most home invasions happen between midday and 4 pm in the afternoon. Home invasion statistics show that most break-ins happen during the day as opposed to at night.
(Safewise)
