Motor vehicle theft.

Definition

The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program defines motor vehicle theft as the theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle. This offense includes the stealing of automobiles, trucks, buses, motorcycles, motorscooters, snowmobiles, etc. The taking of a motor vehicle for temporary use by persons having lawful access is excluded from this definition.

Trend

                                      Rate per 100,000
     Year        Number of offenses     inhabitants

     2002            1,246,646             432.9
     2003            1,260,471             433.4

Percent change          +1.1                +0.1

National Volume, Trends, and Rates

In 2003, there were an estimated 1,260,471 motor vehicle thefts in the United States. This number represented a 1.1-percent increase in volume when compared to the 2002 estimate and a 9.4-percent increase over the 1999 estimate. The estimated number of motor vehicle thefts in 2003 was a decrease of 18.1 percent when compared to the 1994 estimate. (See Table 1, national estimates.)

The rate of motor vehicle thefts in the Nation in 2003 was an estimated 433.4 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, which represented virtually no change (+0.1 percent) over the 2002 rate. The estimated rate of motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 inhabitants increased 2.6 percent when compared to the 1999 rate but decreased 26.7 percent from the 1994 rate. (See Table 1.)

Regional Offense Trends and Rates

As shown in Appendix III, the UCR Program divides the Nation into four regions: the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, and the West. An examination of motor vehicle theft data by region indicated the following:

The Northeast

The Northeast Region, which comprised 18.7 percent of the Nation's population, accounted for an estimated 12.5 percent of all motor vehicle thefts. (See Table 3, regional estimates.) The 2003 estimate was a 3.0-percent decrease from the 2002 estimate. In 2003, the rate of stolen vehicles in the Northeast was an estimated 290.7 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, a 3.5-percent decrease from the previous year's estimate. (See Table 4, regional, divisional, state estimates.)

The Midwest

In 2003, 22.5 percent of the U.S. population resided in the Midwest. The region accounted for an estimated 18.5 percent of all motor vehicle thefts in the Nation. (See Table 3, regional estimates.) The estimated number of motor vehicle thefts in the region showed a slight decline, 0.3 percent, from the previous year's estimate. The Midwest had an estimated rate of 356.9 motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 inhabitants, which was a 0.7-percent decline from the 2002 estimate. (See Table 4, regional, divisional, state estimates.)

The South

The Nation's most populous region, the South, accounted for 35.9 percent of the Nation's inhabitants and had an estimated 34.5 percent of the Nation's motor vehicle thefts. (See Table 3, regional estimates.) The 2003 estimate of motor vehicle thefts in the region was a 0.9-percent decrease from the 2002 estimate. In 2003, the region had a rate of 416.1 motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 in population, which was a 2.2-percent decrease from the 2002 estimated rate. (See Table 4, regional, divisional, state estimates.)

The West

The Western Region, with 22.9 percent of the Nation's population, had an estimated 34.4 percent of the motor vehicle theft offenses. (See Table 3, regional estimates.) The West was the only region with an increase in the estimated number of motor vehicle thefts, 5.7 percent over the 2002 estimate. The region had the highest estimated rate, 652.8 motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 inhabitants, among the regions and the only increase, 4.2 percent, in the estimate from 2002 to 2003. (See Table 4, regional, divisional, state estimates.)

Community Types

The UCR Program defines three community types: Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), cities outside metropolitan areas, and nonmetropolitan counties. Additional information regarding community types is presented in Appendix III.

In 2003, the estimated motor vehicle theft rate per 100,000 inhabitants was 491.0 in MSAs, 199.5 in cities outside MSAs, and 128.6 in nonmetropolitan counties. (See Table 2, community type estimates.)

Population Groups: Trends and Rates

In the UCR Program, cities are grouped according to population size and counties are classified as either metropolitan or nonmetropolitan. (Additional information about population groups is located in Appendix III.) In 2003, the Nation's cities collectively had a 0.5-percent increase in the number of motor vehicle thefts reported. Among city groups, those with populations of 100,000 to 249,999 inhabitants had the largest year-to-year increase in motor vehicle thefts, 3.7 percent, from the previous year's total. Those agencies in cities with populations of 250,000 and over, collectively, had the only decrease in motor vehicle thefts, 1.2 percent lower than the 2002 total. (See Table 12.)

Both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties had increases in the number of motor vehicle theft offenses when comparing 2002 to 2003 data--a 4.0-percent increase in metropolitan counties and a 2.3-percent increase in nonmetropolitan counties. (See Table 12.)

Cities overall had a rate of 561.6 motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 inhabitants in 2003. The Nation's largest cities, cities with populations of 250,000 and over, had the highest rate among city population groups at 910.9, and the Nation's smallest cities, those with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants, had the lowest rate among the city groups at 230.0 motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 in population. Metropolitan counties had a rate of 323.5 motor vehicle theft offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. In nonmetropolitan counties, the rate was 139.5. (See Table 16.)

Offense Analysis

In 2003, automobiles were stolen at a rate of 341.9 cars per 100,000 inhabitants. Trucks and buses (commercial vehicles) were stolen at a rate of 86.2 vehicles per 100,000 in population. Other types of vehicles were stolen at a rate of 38.3 vehicles per 100,000 people. (See Table 19.)

In the Nation, 73.3 percent of stolen vehicles were automobiles. In the Northeast, 88.8 percent of the vehicles stolen were automobiles. In the Midwest, 76.9 percent of the vehicles stolen were automobiles, in the West, 72.3 percent, and in the South, 68.0 percent of the motor vehicles reported stolen were automobiles. (See Table 2.29.)

The average value of motor vehicles reported stolen in 2003 was $6,797. The estimated total value of all motor vehicles reported stolen in 2003 was $8.6 billion. (Based on Tables 1 and 23.)

Clearances

The UCR Program considers an offense to be cleared by arrest or solved when at least one person is arrested, charged with the commission of the offense, and turned over to the court for prosecution. A clearance by exceptional means can be recorded when the offender has been identified and located and there is enough evidence to support an arrest, but conditions beyond law enforcement's control prevent an agency from bringing charges. (More information about clearances is available in Section III of this publication.)

Law enforcement agencies cleared 13.1 percent of reported motor vehicle thefts by arrest or exceptional means in 2003. In the Nation's cities overall, law enforcement cleared 12.3 percent of motor vehicle thefts. Of all the city population groupings, the Nation's smallest cities, those with populations under 10,000 persons, had the highest percentage of clearances, 24.2 percent; the Nation's largest cities, those with 250,000 or more inhabitants, had the lowest percentage of clearances, 10.1 percent. Law enforcement in nonmetropolitan counties cleared 27.1 percent of motor vehicle thefts by arrest or exceptional means, and those in metropolitan counties cleared 14.7 percent. (See Table 25.)

By region, law enforcement agencies in the South had the highest clearance rate, 14.9 percent. Agencies in the Midwest cleared 14.6 percent of the motor vehicle theft offenses reported in that region and those in the Northeast cleared 14.4 percent. The West's law enforcement agencies cleared 10.4 percent of the motor vehicle thefts brought to their attention. (See Table 26.)

Clearances and Juveniles

The UCR Program also considers an incident cleared by arrest if an offender under the age of 18 is physically arrested or if the individual is cited to appear before juvenile authorities. According to UCR guidelines, any clearance that involves both adult and juvenile offenders is listed as an adult clearance. Clearances involving only juveniles (those under age 18) accounted for 17.3 percent of all reported motor vehicle theft clearances. In cities overall, 17.8 percent of motor vehicle theft clearances involved only juveniles. Among the city population groups, those cities with populations of 250,000 and over inhabitants had the highest percentage of clearances involving only juveniles at 18.9 percent. Cities with populations of 100,000 to 249,999 had the lowest percentage of clearances involving juveniles at 15.7 percent. Law enforcement officials in nonmetropolitan counties reported 17.6 percent of clearances involved only juveniles; metropolitan county law enforcement agencies reported 15.3 percent of motor vehicle theft clearances involved only juveniles. (See Table 28.)

Arrests

In 2003, there were an estimated 152,934 arrests for motor vehicle theft in the United States. (See Table 29.) Table 29 provides estimated arrest data for the Nation, however, the remaining tables in Section IV of this publication furnish actual arrest totals based on agencies that submitted 12 months of arrest data to the UCR Program.

Two- and 5-year trend data showed that the number of motor vehicle theft arrests in the Nation was 0.8 percent higher than in 2002 and 5.5 percent higher than the number of motor vehicle theft arrests in 1999. However, the 10-year trend data showed the number of motor vehicle theft arrests during 2003 was 26.5 percent lower than for 1994. (See Tables 32, 34, and 36.)

In the Nation, the rate of motor vehicle theft arrests was 52.1 per 100,000 inhabitants. Among the four geographic regions, the West had the highest arrest rate for motor vehicle theft at 77.3 per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by the Midwest, 52.1; the South, 41.2; and the Northeast, 31.4. (See Table 30.)

In cities overall, law enforcement reported a rate of 59.3 motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 persons. By city population groups, the Nation's largest cities, those with 250,000 inhabitants or greater, had the highest arrest rate for motor vehicle theft at 111.5 per 100,000 in population. Cities with populations of 10,000 to 24,999 had the lowest arrest rate for motor vehicle theft at 32.4 per 100,000 in population. Law enforcement agencies in metropolitan counties reported a motor vehicle theft arrest rate of 39.5 per 100,000 inhabitants; nonmetropolitan law enforcement agencies reported a rate of 29.5. (See Table 31.)

By age, 62.3 percent of those persons arrested for motor vehicle thefts in 2003 were under the age of 25, and 29.1 percent were under the age of 18. Adults comprised 70.9 percent of motor vehicle theft arrestees. (See Tables 38 and 41.)

In 2003, 83.4 percent of arrestees for motor vehicle theft were male. Arrests of male juveniles decreased 3.3 percent from the 2002 number. Arrests of females increased 1.9 percent from 2002 to 2003; however, arrests of female juveniles from 2002 to 2003 declined 5.3 percent. (See Tables 37 and 42.)

By race, 61.3 percent of arrestees for motor vehicle theft were white, 35.9 percent were black, and the remainder were of other races. Whites accounted for 56.1 percent of juveniles arrested for motor vehicle theft, and blacks comprised 40.3 percent of juveniles arrested for motor vehicle theft. (See Table 43.)

Table 2.28
Motor Vehicle Theft by Month

Percent Distribution, 1999-2003

Month       1999   2000   2001   2002   2003

January      8.5    8.1    8.1    8.6    8.3
February     7.3    7.4    6.9    7.2    7.0
March        7.9    8.0    7.7    8.0    8.0
April        7.7    7.6    7.6    7.8    8.1
May          8.0    8.2    8.0    8.1    8.3
June         8.2    8.3    8.2    8.1    8.3
July         8.8    8.9    9.0    9.0    8.8
August       9.0    9.1    8.9    8.8    8.8
September    8.5    8.5    8.5    8.6    8.6
October      8.8    8.7    9.3    8.8    8.7
November     8.5    8.5    8.9    8.4    8.3
December     8.8    8.6    9.0    8.6    8.7

Table 2.29
Motor Vehicle Theft

Percent Distribution by Region, 2003

                                Trucks and    Other
Region      Total (1)   Autos     buses      vehicles

Total         100.0     73.3       18.5         8.2

Northeast     100.0     88.8        5.0         6.1
Midwest       100.0     76.9       15.1         8.1
South         100.0     68.0       21.2        10.8
West          100.0     72.3       21.2         6.5

(1) Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0.

Figure 2.15
Motor Vehicle Theft

Percent Change from 1999

                Rate per 100,000
       Volume     inhabitants

1999    0             0
2000    0.7          -2.4
2001    6.6           1.9
2002    8.2           2.5
2003    9.4           2.6

Note: Table made from line graph.

Figure 2.16
Regional Crime Rates 2003

Violent and Property Crimes per
100,000 Inhabitants

Northeast
  property crime   2,410.1
  violent crime      400.9
Midwest
  property crime   3,369.5
  violent crime      397.4
South
  property crime   4,115.6
  violent crime      549.3
West
  property crime   3,939.3
  violent crime      495.0

Note: Table made from bar graph.