Why The Burglary Rate In America Might Surprise You

A 2024 Gallup survey found that 64% of Americans felt that crime, an issue that continues to cost residents in many U.S. cities, had increased over the previous year, with 56% even describing crime as "extremely" or "very" serious. According to 2024 research from the Pew Research Center the main reason why the public continues to perceive crime as so widespread is that most Americans tend to encounter more crime stories in their local news than other topics. In fact, 77% of adults said they frequently or occasionally saw crime-related stories, higher than the frequency of stories about government and politics (68%) or the economy (59%).

However, what people believe doesn't always reflect the facts. Data from the FBI's Crime Data Explorer shows that offenses like larceny, motor vehicle theft, and burglary actually declined between May 2024 and April 2025 — larceny dropped 8%, motor vehicle theft fell by 25.1%, and burglary dropped 10.5%. Burglary, in particular –- which is largely defined as unlawfully entering a structure such as a home, apartment, or office, to commit theft or another felony -– remains relatively low in the U.S., with rates lower than in many major European countries. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the U.S. recorded 268.5 burglary cases per 100,000 people in 2022, lower than the rates in countries such as Switzerland and Austria, which are often ranked among the world's safest. With that said, while burglary has declined, emerging crimes such as crypto scams have increased in the U.S.

Neighboring Canada, often regarded for its safety, recorded higher rates of burglary than the U.S. did in every recent year: 427.6 in 2019, 327.4 in 2021, and 342.3 in 2022. Similarly, Australia has even higher rates, at 577.1 in 2022. Europe tells a similar story — Germany's 2022 rate of burglary was 309.9 per 100,000 people, while Austria's was even higher at 540. Switzerland –- generally considered synonymous with safety -– came in above 400. Spain, one of the best countries to retire abroad, recorded 310.9 per 100,000 people in 2022, also above the U.S. rate. Indeed, America's burglary rate is not only falling but now sits below that of many Western countries with reputations for being far safer.

The lower rate of burglary in the U.S. is due to several reasons. According to 2021 research published in Security Journal, the 80% decline in burglary over the last 40 years in the U.S. is in large part due to the adoption of home security technology –- including alarm systems, motion-activated lights, and smart locks –- which have made break-ins riskier for criminals. With that said, reported residential burglary rates are usually significantly higher in larger cities. Per the Council on Criminal Justice, burglary rates in 2022 were twice as high in cities with populations between 500,000 and 999,999 residents than they were in cities with less than 100,000 people.