Quick Facts: Burglary Statistics

What is considered a burglary…

Burglary is defined as the unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft. The use of force to gain entry is not required to classify an offense as a burglary. Burglary is categorized into three sub classifications: forcible entry, unlawful entry where no force is used, and attempted forcible entry.
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report 2005

Burglary Facts and Statistics…

• Property crime makes up slightly more than three-quarters of all crime in the United States
• In 2005, law enforcement agencies reported an estimated 2,154,126 burglary offenses-a 0.5-percent increase compared with 2004 data.
• An examination of 5- and 10-year trends revealed a 1.8-percent increase in the number of burglaries compared with the 2001 estimate, and a 14.1-percent decline from the 1996 number.
• Burglary accounted for 21.2 percent of the estimated number of property crimes committed in 2005. The average dollar loss per burglary offense in 2005 was $1,725.
• Of all burglary offenses in 2005, 65.8 percent were of residential structures.
• Most (62.4 percent) of residential burglaries in 2005 for which time of occurrence was known took place during the day, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
• Among burglaries of nonresidential structures when time of occurrence was known, 58.0 percent occurred at night.
• A burglary takes place in the U.S. every 14.6 seconds according to the Uniform Crime Reporting Program Crime Clock.
• According to the FBI Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January-June, 2006, “burglary offenses showed an increase, up 1.2 percent from the 2005 level.”
• Overall, in about 84% of all burglaries, the offender gained entry into the victim’s residence or other building on the property.

Source: Crime in the United States 2005 Department of Justice — Federal Bureau of Investigation Release Date: September 2006
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/

Where Burglars Enter a House...

One survey in Pennsylvania showed that 81 percent of residential intrusions occur through the first floor.
34 percent of burglars entered through the front door;
23 percent through a first-floor window;
22 percent through the back door;
9 percent through the garage;
4 percent entered through a basement;
4 percent through an unlocked entrance;
2 percent through a storage area;
and only 2 percent entered anywhere on the second floor.
A study in Connecticut showed that 12 percent of burglaries occurred through an UNLOCKED door and that in 41 percent of alarmed homes that were burglarized, the security system was not turned on.

back to top