Burglaries and break-ins are some of the most worrying crimes you can face, affecting millions of people in the US and Canada each year. But just how many people have had their homes broken into? And which US states and Canadian provinces experience the highest rate of burglaries?
To find out, we gathered all of the most up-to-date burglary statistics in Canada and the USA, as well as conducting a survey to discover how commonplace burglary really is, and what security measures Americans and Canadians have in place to deter burglars from their homes.
US & Canada Burglary Statistics: The Short Version
- Approximately 25 million people aged over 18 in the US have had their homes burgled.
- People in Nevada search online for home security products more than any other US state.
- 4.97 million people in Canada have had their homes broken into.
- People in Alberta search online for home security products and burglary deterrents more than any other Canadian province.
How many people in the US have had their homes broken into?
- In June 2021, we conducted a survey using Censuswide asking 1,000 US adults if their homes have ever been broken into. Our survey found that:
- 13% of people in the US have had their home broken into at least once. That’s approximately* 25 million US adults.
- 3% say their home has been broken into more than once.
- 3.5% say someone has attempted to break into their home.
- And 24% of US adults (1 in every 4 people) say they worry that their home may get broken into.
*This figure was calculated as a proportion of the total population of the US aged 18+ (209 million).
Data from the FBI shows that in 2019, there were 1,117,696 burglaries in the US alone. As you can see on the table below, there has been a steady decline in the number of burglaries over the past 5 years, which may explain why 47% of American homeowners chose not to have a home security system installed in their homes.
Number of reported Burglaries each year since 2015 in the USA according to official FBI statistics.
Which State in The US is the Most Security Conscious in 2021?
Although burglary rates in the US are declining, millions of burglaries are still carried out or attempted every year, so it’s no surprise that so many Americans are putting in place measures to ensure that they’re equipped with all the tools they need to protect themselves and their homes from danger.
To find out which parts of the US search for ways to improve the security of their homes most, we conducted a keyword analysis using the tool KeywordFinder. This allowed us to discover which states search for security related terms the most in proportion to their population size.
The keywords we analysed were: “Home Security”, “Security Cameras”, “Home Security Systems”, “Alarm Systems”, “Ring Camera” and “Motion Sensor Light”. All of these terms indicate a person looking to improve the security of their home utilising different products to do so.
Average monthly searches in the USA for a variety of keywords. Data extracted from KWFinder.
To find out which US state is the most security conscious, we gathered data for each state showing the average number of monthly searches for each of the above security related search terms. We added together each state’s total search volume for all 7 of these security-related terms and weighted this by population by dividing the number of searches by the population of each state, before multiplying by 10,000 to obtain the average number of monthly searches per 100,000 people. The results found that:
- People in Nevada search online for home security products the most, with an average of 260 in every 100,000 people searching for terms such as security cameras, motion sensor light and alarm systems each month.
- This is then followed by New Mexico and California, where an average of 220 in every 100,000 people conduct online searches relating to home-security each month.
- The least security-conscious state appears to be Alaska, where just 120 in every 100,000 people search for these terms.
US states mapped from least to most security-conscious based on search volumes for home-security products. Created using mapchart.net
It’s important to note that each search does not necessarily correspond to a different individual, as one person could conduct the same search multiple times.
How many people in Canada have had their homes broken into?
We also conducted a survey in Canada, asking 1,000 people aged over 18 if their homes have ever been broken into.
- 12.25% of Canadians say their homes have been broken into once, with a further 3.9% stating that their homes have been broken into on multiple occasions.
- This means in total, 16.15% of Canadian adults have had their homes broken into at least once – that’s approximately 4.97 million people!
In Canada, the number of burglaries between 2015 and 2019 has remained fairly steady with around 161,291 burglaries across Canada in 2019. Although this figure hasn’t really changed over the past 5 years, it is a huge decrease from 293,397 burglaries in 2000.
Number of reported Burglaries each year since 2015 in Canada according to Statista.
Which Province in Canada is Most Security Conscious in 2021?
Following a keyword analysis using KeywordFinder, we discovered which province in Canada searches for security related terms the most in proportion to population sizes. We used the same methodology as we did with the above US study and found the following:
- People in Alberta search online for home security products and burglary deterrents more than any other Canadian province, with an average of 11 searches being conducted each month per 100,000 people.
- Those living in British Columbia and Manitoba also browse the web more frequently for these types of terms than people in other provinces.
- Interestingly, those living in Quebec and Saskatchewan conduct the lowest proportions of searches for items to protect their homes from thieves in the whole of Canada.
Canadian provinces* mapped from least to most security-conscious based on search volumes for home-security products. Created using mapchart.net
*We didn’t conduct a keyword analysis for the north-most territories in Canada due to their remoteness and low population density.
Average monthly searches in Canada for a variety of keywords. Data extracted from KeywordFinder.
Summary: USA and Canada Burglary Statistics Roundup
To conclude, while rates of burglary have decreased in the US over recent years and remained relatively constant in Canada, home security is still a large concern, hence the large volume of searches for items like security cameras.
We hope these statistics have helped you better understand the rates of burglary in the USA and Canada
