Car theft is moving in the right direction across the United States, but where you live still makes a big difference. The National Insurance Crime Bureau reported 659,880 vehicle thefts nationwide in 2025, down 23.2% from 2024 and the lowest total in several decades. Even with that improvement, a vehicle was still reported stolen about once every 48 seconds.
The West Coast and Pacific Northwest have seen some of the biggest changes. Washington posted the largest year-over-year decline of any state in 2025, while Oregon also recorded another sharp drop. Alaska moved in the opposite direction, making it the only state in the latest state-by-state data to report an increase for the year.
Using 2025 vehicle theft data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau and published state-by-state figures based on NICB’s 2025 year-end dataset, Seattle Travel ranked the Pacific and PNW states by reported vehicle thefts per 100,000 residents. We kept California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, and Idaho for this regional version.
Rates are more useful than raw totals for this comparison because they account for differences in population. A state can have fewer total thefts but still present a higher risk to an individual vehicle owner.
These are the West Coast and PNW states where your car is most likely to be stolen, ranked from the lowest 2025 theft rate to the highest.
Why It Matters
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Motor-vehicle theft fell sharply nationwide in 2025, but 659,880 vehicles were still reported stolen, or about one every 48 seconds. The risk is also far from evenly distributed. California remained the national leader in total thefts, while Washington still ranked among the top states by volume even after posting the country’s largest percentage decline. NICB recommends simple steps such as locking doors and windows, taking your keys with you, parking in well-lit areas, and considering anti-theft or tracking technology.
6. Idaho
©Blue night sky over Boise Idaho with moon by Knowles Gallery / BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/) - Original / License
- 2025 vehicle-theft rate: 53.9 thefts per 100,000 residents
- Vehicles reported stolen in 2025: 1,078
- Change from 2024: down 22%
- What stands out: Idaho has the lowest 2025 vehicle-theft rate of the six states in this regional list.
5. Hawaii
©Waikiki & the city of Honolulu by foot fingers / BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/) - Original / License
- 2025 vehicle-theft rate: 110.4 thefts per 100,000 residents
- Vehicles reported stolen in 2025: 1,584
- Change from 2024: down 11%
- What stands out: Hawaii remained well below the theft rates seen in the mainland West Coast states.
4. Oregon
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- 2025 vehicle-theft rate: 207.9 thefts per 100,000 residents
- Vehicles reported stolen in 2025: 8,868
- Change from 2024: down 26%
- What stands out: Oregon continued its recent improvement after also posting one of the country’s largest declines in 2024.
3. Washington
- 2025 vehicle-theft rate: 227.5 thefts per 100,000 residents
- Vehicles reported stolen in 2025: 18,039
- Change from 2024: down 39%
- What stands out: Washington recorded the largest percentage decline in vehicle thefts of any state in 2025.
2. Alaska
©Juneau Alaska. by Bernard Spragg / CC0 1.0 (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) - Original / License
- 2025 vehicle-theft rate: 232.2 thefts per 100,000 residents
- Vehicles reported stolen in 2025: 1,710
- Change from 2024: up 7%
- What stands out: Alaska was the only state in the 2025 state-by-state dataset to finish the year with an increase in vehicle thefts.
1. California
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- 2025 vehicle-theft rate: 348.0 thefts per 100,000 residents
- Vehicles reported stolen in 2025: 136,988
- Change from 2024: down 25%
- What stands out: California had both the highest vehicle-theft rate among states and the largest total number of stolen vehicles in 2025.
