(LoJack)
LoJack -- the maker of security and recovery devices for cars -- has put together some statistics on auto theft in the U.S. They're not as thorough or as useful as stats from the FBI or the National Insurance Crime Bureau because they focus solely on vehicles with LoJack systems (obviously, to tout their strengths). However, the data does re-affirm one or two important pieces of information that we've gleaned from other sources.
STATE BY STATE
For instance, LoJack notes that more vehicles were stolen and recovered in California in 2013 than any other state. That might not come as a shock: California is the most populous state, so it stands to reason that it also has the most vehicles for thieves to steal (and thieves to do the stealing). However, LoJack's numbers are in keeping with NICB data, confirming that California remains a serious trouble spot for car owners and insurers.
The other top-ten car-theft states on LoJack's list are Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Arizona, Georgia, and Washington. Curiously, those don't align with state population rankings, nor do they provide direct matches with NICB data on theft hotspots, which include only cities in California and Washington state. (Granted, the comparison isn't entirely apples-to-apples, but the differences are interesting.)
This proves what real estate agents have known for years: it's all about location, location, location. While some states may score lower on overall theft rankings -- as Washington does -- there can be hot spots within those states that are far more active among auto thieves than the statewide data might suggest.
TOP TARGETS
As far as specific stolen vehicles are concerned, there's a good bit of overlap between LoJack and NICB's lists of most-stolen models. In both cases, the Honda Accord is tops, and the Ford F-Series and Honda Civic make the top five.
Also of interest: LoJack says that black cars are the most often stolen and recovered in the U.S. That's a little surprising, since black is usually #2 or #3 on the popularity list, typically coming in below white and occasionally, silver. (In Europe, the situation's reversed.) Do thieves really prefer black cars? Or are people with black cars simply more prone to buy LoJack systems? Maybe both?
Beyond that, LoJack's stats aren't very interesting or enlightening. If you're in California, though, and you drive a black Honda Accord, it might be time to invest in a theft-prevention system.
Checkout LoJack's infographic (inexplicably, a PDF) here.