# Car Thefts Drop Nationally, Chicago Lags

> Nationwide car thefts fell 21% in 2026 but Chicago saw a 2% rise.
- Title: Car Thefts Drop Nationally, Chicago Lags · Road & Track
- Summary: Nationwide car thefts fell 21% in 2026 but Chicago saw a 2% rise. Car thefts dropped 21% nationally in 2026, but Chicago's metro area recorded 2% more thefts…
- Keywords: car thefts, national crime, chicago, illinois, national insurance crime bureau, theft rates, metro areas, vehicle thefts, cars, sports, Car, Thefts
- Source: Road & Track — https://roadandtrack.com/news/a74037154/car-thefts-reportedly-plunge-21-nationally-but-chicago-missed-the-memo
- Author: Stephen Rivers
- Published: 2026-10-05T20:05:19+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: car thefts, national crime, chicago, illinois, national insurance crime bureau, theft rates, metro areas, vehicle thefts, cars, sports
## Car Thefts Plunge 21% Nationally
Vehicle thefts dropped 21 percent during the first half of 2026, with every state recording fewer thefts than the previous year.
## Chicago Missed the Memo
Chicago's metro area recorded 11,761 vehicle thefts, up 2 percent from the first half of 2025.
## National Theft Rates Decline
All 50 states reported fewer vehicle thefts than the first half of 2025, with Washington, D.C. seeing a 52 percent drop.
## Chicago's Theft Rate
Chicago's theft rate per 100,000 residents was 181.94, below the national average of 77.81 thefts per 100,000 people.
## Chicago the Only Metro Area to Rise
Chicago was the only one of America's 10 highest-theft metro areas where vehicle thefts increased from the first half of 2025.
## Bakersfield-Delano Leads
Bakersfield-Delano, California recorded 223.28 thefts per 100,000 residents, nearly three times the national rate.
## Key takeaway

Car thefts dropped 21% nationally in 2026, but Chicago's metro area recorded 2% more thefts than last year.