Property Crime by State: What Your Home Is Really At Risk For

New Mexico has a property crime rate of roughly 3,200 incidents per 100,000 residents, while Maine sits closer to 700. That gap is not a rounding error. It is the difference between a neighborhood where car break-ins are routine and one where they are genuinely rare.

The States With the Worst Property Crime Problems

New Mexico, Louisiana, and Alaska rank at the top for property crime in 2026, a pattern that has held for several years. New Mexico's rate continues to decline slowly, but it still leads the nation by a wide margin. Louisiana follows, driven heavily by vehicle theft and burglary in its urban corridors. Alaska rounds out the top three, with property crime rates inflated by economic isolation in rural communities and limited law enforcement presence across vast geographic stretches.

Other states with persistently high property crime rates include Arkansas, Washington, and Colorado. Colorado's numbers surprise some people given its reputation as an outdoor recreation destination, but its metro areas, particularly Denver and Aurora, have seen sustained vehicle theft problems. Washington state similarly struggles in the Seattle metro and surrounding suburbs.

The common thread across high-crime states is not always poverty. Some of the worst-performing states have median household incomes above the national average. Urban density, enforcement capacity, and local prosecution policies drive the numbers more than income alone.

The Safest States for Your Property

Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire consistently report the lowest property crime rates in the country. Maine's rate hovers around 700 per 100,000 residents, less than one-quarter of New Mexico's figure. Vermont is even lower in some reporting periods. New Hampshire rounds out a northeastern trio that has dominated the low-crime rankings for years.

Beyond New England, Virginia and Connecticut also post strong numbers, with rates well below the national average of approximately 1,900 per 100,000 residents (as of late 2025 FBI data, the most recent full dataset available). Idaho and Wyoming post low rates as well, though their rural character makes direct comparisons to urban states imprecise.

One thing worth noting: low property crime does not always mean low cost. Maine and Vermont are not cheap places to live, and New Hampshire's property taxes are among the highest in the country. If you want safety and tax efficiency together, that combination requires deliberate state selection. Our cost of living analysis for high-tax states breaks down what you actually pay when you factor in taxes alongside safety.

What Property Crime Actually Costs Homeowners

The FBI tracks four categories under property crime: burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. Larceny-theft is the most common by volume, but burglary and vehicle theft carry the highest average dollar losses per incident.

The average burglary loss runs approximately $2,800 per incident nationally. Vehicle theft averages over $10,000 per stolen vehicle. Across all property crime categories combined, the FBI estimates total annual losses in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Insurance premiums in high-crime states reflect that exposure directly. Homeowners in parts of Louisiana and New Mexico pay substantially more for equivalent coverage than homeowners in Maine or New Hampshire.

For retirees on fixed incomes, this cost layer matters. If you are evaluating states for retirement, property crime adds a real financial dimension beyond income taxes and Social Security treatment. The best states for retirees to avoid taxes covers the tax side, but crime-driven insurance costs belong in the same calculation.

How to Actually Use This Data When Choosing Where to Live

State-level crime rates are useful for filtering, not finalizing. A low-crime state can have high-crime zip codes, and a high-crime state contains genuinely safe neighborhoods. Use state data to eliminate clear outliers, then go deeper at the county and city level before making a decision.

Also separate property crime from violent crime. Some states rank poorly on one and better on the other. New Hampshire, for example, is low on both. Washington scores worse on property crime than violent crime. Those distinctions change the risk profile of living there significantly.

Use the Live or Die Here state comparison calculator to stack up property crime rates alongside tax burden, cost of living, and other livability factors in a single view.

Key Takeaways

• New Mexico's property crime rate of approximately 3,200 per 100,000 residents is more than four times higher than Maine's rate of approximately 700.
• The national average property crime rate sits near 1,900 per 100,000 residents, based on the most recent full data available from late 2025.
• The average burglary costs a victim roughly $2,800, and vehicle theft averages over $10,000 per incident, costs that compound through higher insurance premiums in high-crime states.

Compare every state's property crime rate, tax burden, and cost of living side by side at Live or Die Here and find out where your money and your property are actually safe.