Are you vulnerable to a home invasion?
Interested in learning about home security statistics? I will cover the latest, 2021 US home security and burglary statistics and facts.
In this article, I will cover things like your chances of a home invasion, how often do police catch burglars, how to tell if a burglar is watching your house, home burglary statistics by state, and much more.
Let’s get started.
1. There are 1,230,149 burglaries, as the latest report in the US, out of the 128.58 million total households.
2. 65% of burglaries happen during the day.
3. Without a home security system, you are 300% more likely to get broken into.
4. 65% of burglars know their victims.
5. The average loss of a burglary is $2799.
6. Police will only solve 13% of burglaries.
7. 34% of burglars will use the front door and 22% use the back door.
8. There were 1,401,840 burglaries in 2017, out of the 126.22 million total households.
2023 Burglar Statistics
What Time Do Most Break-ins Occur?
The most break-ins occur during the day, than the night. In fact, most break-ins occur between 10AM and 3PM, which is 5 hours. Moving on to seasons, cold weather and snow is a burglar deterrent.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, burglar rates were the highest during the summer, with fall 6% lower than the summer results, spring being 9% lower, and the winter results 11% lower than the summer results.
The Average Losses From A Burglary?
According to the most recent crime data, the average loss from a burglary is $2,799 according to the FBI(Federal Bureau of Investigation). This is a huge loss, especially for those living paycheck to paycheck.
In a survey conducted by SafeWise, 700 people were surveyed and here are their results for their emotional tolls. 50% of them stated that the burglar stole and/ or damaged irreplaceable items.
67% of the surveyed people stated that they took a emotional and mental hit, with 63% stating that they had trouble sleeping after the burglary.
Are Burglaries On The Rise?
Burglaries are not on the rise and are actually decreasing in the United States, as with most other crime rates. According to the FBI, burglaries fell 12% from 2017 to 2018, and significant drops before that. There was actually a 56% drop from 1993 to 2011.
The 2015 property crime rate was 14.4% less than the 2011 estimate and 25.7% less than the 2006 estimate.
However this does not mean that you are safe, in 2019, there were still 1,230,149 burglaries.
Who Is The Burglar?
Burglars are most likely a male who is under 25 years of age. 85% of burglars are also amateurs and are only burglarizing out of desperation, which could make them significantly more dangerous.
A burglar will also live in within a 2 miles of the victim and 65% of them know their victims.
The burglar typically will not be a smooth, cool, or charming professional you may see in movies. They are thugs that will use brute force, or destructive techniques to enter your home. Most of them will even have previous arrest records for things like robbery, assault, or drug-related offenses.
Only 12% of the time, the burglary is planned out completely with emergency escape routes, proximity to traffic, and much more, while 41% of the time, it is done impulsively.
How Often Do Police Catch Burglars?
The police department will solve only 13% of burglary cases, because there usually isn’t that much evidence, or there was no witnesses.
There is almost no chance that law enforcement will catch the burglar while committing the crime because a burglary takes an average of 8-12 minutes.
It will take most rural areas much longer than 8-12 minutes for the police to show up from the police report. Most criminal activity like burglaries are not stopped by police, it is stopped by people like you.
Do Burglars Kill?
According to a study conducted by BJS(Bureau of Justice), in between the time period of 2003 and 2007, when there were 3.7 million burglaries on average(much higher than 1.2 million now), there were 0 cases of murder conducted by burglars. Burglars probably will not
However, when a household member was present (during about 30% of the burglaries), there was a 15% chance the burglar committed a violent crime like assault and 3% of the time it was rape.
How Many People Have Home Security?
According to a study done by Castle Systems, it seemed that older people were less likely to have a home security system. So, how many homes have security systems?
Only 12% of 56-76 year old people(Baby Boomers) have a home security system. Only 27% of 41-55 year old people(Gen X) have a home security system.
While there is a huge spike with people 26-40 year old people(Gen Y) at 45% of them having a home security system.
Now, let’s take it one step further in the same study done by Castle Systems. Who has a smart home security system(cameras, sensors, etc?) The same applied here, with older people less likely to have a smart home security system.
Only 6% of 56-76 year old people(Baby Boomers) have a smart home security system. 26% of 41-55 year old people(Gen X) have a smart home security system. While there is a noticeable spike with people 26-40 year old people(Gen Y) at 36% of them having a smart home security system.
How many people have weapons to defend their home, and if they have weapons, what are they most likely to use? There is the same trend here, with older people not taking security measures, while younger people are.
24% of 56-76 year old people (Baby Boomers) have a home defense weapon. 29% of 41-55 year old people (Gen X) have a home defense weapon.
While there is a noticeable spike with people 26-40 year old people (Gen Y) at 41% of them having a home defense weapon to prevent theft and other crimes. The crime trends are fairly consistent, with newer generations being more secure.
What is the Effectiveness of Home Security Systems?
Home security systems are really effective. In fact, if you do not have a home security system, you are 300% more likely to be broken into.
60% of thieves will stray away from your home with the knowledge of you having a home security system.
95% of home security owners are satisfied with their security systems. There are also additional features for home security systems, like water sensors(water damage causes over $10 billion in the US each year), and fire sensors(fire causes over $11 billion in the US each year, excluding wildfires.)
Other Burglar Facts
How to tell if a burglar is watching your house?
Today’s burglars are prepared and strike when your guard is weakest. A sign that you may be burglarized is if you is if a random person(that does not have workout gear on) repeatedly strolls around your neighborhood, and analyzing your neighborhood, there is a high chance that person is a burglar.
Another sign is if you notice an eager photographer taking photos of your neighborhood and houses in your neighborhood.
Another sign that you are going to be burglarized is if there is the same car(that you are unfamiliar with) is strolling around your neighborhood.
An unknown person doing door to door visits is another sign that person is a burglar. There is the occasional religious group and salesman. So, your best option is to not open the door. In fact you should not even talk to them unless you have an outdoor audio system.
How to Prevent A Burglary?
Preventing a burglary should a big priority for you. First off, invest in a home security system, and once you do actually use it. It is recommended that you purchase an extra loud alarm that yells “INTRUSION DETECTED, FRONT DOOR” so that it will attract attention from your neighborhood.
Put out alarm signs at the front and back of your house to notify anyone trying to break in that you have an alarm system.
Next, it is recommended you use deadbolt metal doors to prevent any brute force entries. Your knob should also be a heavy-duty knob set with a dead-latch mechanism or a smart lock(recommended) to prevent lock picking.
I also recommend you use privacy glass, which allows you to see outside, but no one to see inside. You should also install anti-lift devices on all your windows to prevent a criminal from lifting up a sliding glass door or forcing it open horizontally.
Keep items like cash, electronics, jewelry, medications, firearms, documentation, and keys in secure locations, like a diversion safe(to make it virtually impossible for a burglar to find your valuables.
To add on, you should never put your name on your mailbox because the person can call directory assistance, get your number, and find out you aren’t home.
Next, you have to commit to some common practices that will take no more than a minute of your time a day. First, ensure that every door and window in your house is locked(especially when you are in the house). Next, keep your car locked, even in the garage.
For more home security tips, here are two articles you may be interested in: 17 home security tips and 15 common home security mistakes
What Are My Legal Rights in a Burglary?
The law states that you can use reasonable force to protect yourself or others if a crime is taking place inside your home.
This can mean that if you confront the burglar, and it is NECESSARY to protect yourself, you may protect yourself.
You may also stop a burglar from running away to ensure he or she recieves criminal justice and to increase public safety in your area. You may use any object or weapon as self-defense, if you feel like you are being harmed.
If you feel you did what was absolutely necessary, that can be used as a strong justification in court.
The law only requires you to feel like you are being harmed, you do not have to wait to do attacked.
Reasonable force can be defined as the more extreme the circumstance, the more force you may use as self-defense.
Of course, you will need to consult a lawyer if you want more absolute answers, especially because certain states allow you to take more action against burglar, while some don’t.
Closing
In this article, you learned how many burglaries there are, how many burglaries get solved, your rights in a burglary, and more.
I hope you learned something from this article on 2023 crime statistics.
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References
- https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2018/crime-in-the-u.s.-2018/topic-pages/burglary
- https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/spcvt.pdf
- https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/ascii/vdhb.txt
- https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/vdhb.pdf
- https://reolink.com/home-burglary-crime-statistics/
- https://www.apartmentguide.com/blog/burglary-statistics/
- https://www.safewise.com/blog/8-surprising-home-burglary-statistics/
- https://www.huffpost.com/entry/door-locking-poll_n_5889192
- https://info.security.kastle.com/resources/articles/burglary-home-security-statistics
You are great!