(NewsNation) — With nearly $1 billion in losses last year, New York City is the worst metro for package theft in the United States, according to a recent report.
The annual study by SafeWise estimates that 120.5 million packages were snatched off American porches in 2023, resulting in a total loss of nearly $16 billion.
In dollar terms, New York City was hit the hardest by porch pirates, with $945M in losses last year. Philadelphia ($450M) and Chicago ($262M) were next on the list. Washington, D.C. ($232M), and Houston ($207M) rounded out the top five in SafeWise's annual ranking.
But cities with the highest financial losses weren’t necessarily those with the most package theft incidents. Of the top ten worst cities for package theft, Cleveland had the most thefts per capita — nearly 1,400 per 1,000 households. That suggests thieves struck the same houses multiple times.
Other repeat hot spots included Beckley, West Virginia (2,391 incidents per 1,000 households); Hot Springs, Arkansas (2,107 per 1,000); and Goldsboro, North Carolina (1,880 per 1,000), according to Safewise.
The holiday season — which has already seen a surge in online shopping — presents even more opportunities for package thieves.
"People are busier this time of year and have their routine shifted as they may work later and spend more time away from home shopping or visiting with family and friends, so packages are left sitting exposed on the porch for longer," Ben Stickle, a professor at Middle Tennessee State University and package theft expert, said in the report.
Many Americans are taking additional steps to protect their online orders, rerouting packages to secure lockers or seeking out apartment buildings with package rooms.
Among those surveyed by SafeWise, 84% said they added a deterrent after their package was stolen, with security cameras or video doorbells being the most common. Others said they're working with neighbors to make sure they receive their packages.
The report also had some good news: the number of swiped packages barely increased from the year before, up only about one million. SafeWise concluded that the small increase was likely due to population growth rather than a jump in crime.
"With package theft rates holding steady, we can cautiously conclude that porch piracy may have reached its peak," the 2024 report said.
Previous package theft leaders like Seattle, San Diego, and Portland all saw lower rankings this year.
SafeWise recommends these five tips to keep your packages safe:
SafeWise is an online guide to safety and security products. The website determined its annual rankings using a combination of FBI crime statistics, an independent safety survey and its propriety survey data.
These are the top ten worst cities for package theft in 2024, according to SafeWise:
Rankings are based on the estimated dollar value of all stolen packages in the area.
