Where are people the most vulnerable to burglaries in the U.S.? Fence Gnome, part of the Home Gnome group of websites, compared almost 500 of the biggest U.S. cities based on target attractiveness, average home value and share of single-unit detached homes, and burglary prevalence to come up with an answer (if you’re interested in when the most burglaries occur in the U.S., be sure to check out both our articles on the topic).
According to Fence Gnome, Jonesboro, Ark.; Peoria, Ariz., and Seattle rank as the three most vulnerable U.S. cities with Memphis, Tenn., and Las Vegas rounding out the top five spot. Houston, Texas; Springfield, Mo.; Detroit, Mi.; Lake Charles, La.; and Dayton, Ohio fills in the back half for the top 10 most vulnerable U.S. cities for burglaries.
Alexandria, Va.; Allentown, Pa.; and Reading, Pa., are considered the least vulnerable cities for burglaries based on Fence Gnome’s research. They are followed by Lawrence, Mass.; Hartford, Conn.; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia; Jersey City, N.J.; Bethlehem, Pa.; and Miami Beach, Fla., as least vulnerable.
The Most Attractive Targets Aren’t Exactly the Most Expensive
Home burglaries are prevalent in both big cities like Seattle and Las Vegas and smaller ones, such as Jonesboro, Ark. (No. 1), and Lake Charles, La. (No. 9). Jonesboro dealt with the most burglaries per 10,000 households, while Seattle had both high total burglaries and burglaries per 10,000 households.
Luxurious neighborhoods don’t necessarily entice more robbers. Only three of Fence Gnome’s 50 most vulnerable cities ranked among the 100 most attractive targets: Peoria, Ariz. (No. 2), Newport Beach, Calif. (No. 44), and Sandy, Utah (No. 50).
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Newport Beach has the highest home value of more than $3 million — $1.2 million higher than in Sunnyvale, Calif. (No. 220), with the second-highest average home value. The most expensive homes tend to deter burglars due to the presence enhanced security systems (though many burglars may still check to make sure such systems are in place, according to findings from our article on where most break-ins in the home occur).
Populous cities in the north and Mid-Atlantic — including Chicago (No. 409), Philadelphia (No. 479), and Washington (No. 480) — finished at the bottom, near Alexandria, Va., in last place.
These cities “have historically fewer residential burglaries per household and a smaller share of detached single-family homes, which are prime targets for burglars,” the Fence Gnome report says.
Methodology Behind the Vulnerability Rankings for Burglaries
In measuring resident vulnerability in each city, Fence Gnome assessed multiple factors such as Home Value Index, Share of Single Unit Detached Homes, Total Number of Residential Burglaries and Residential Burglaries per 10,000 Households and broke them up into two categories: Target Attractiveness and Burglary Prevalence.
From there, Fence Gnome calculated a score out of 100 points for each city to determine its rank across each factor, category and overall.
Craig MacCormack is a veteran journalist who joined Security Sales & Integration in June 2023 as web editor. He covered AV, IT and security with SSI’s sister publication, Commercial Integrator, from January 2011 to June 2021.
This article originally appeared on our sister site Security Sales & Integration. It has since been updated for CE Pro audiences.
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