Home Safety and Security Stats and Facts

Safety and security risks are part of everyday life, but there’s a lot we can do to minimize the odds. We’ve got the facts behind the fears to help you learn how likely things like fires and burglaries really are.

Plus, we’ve got tips, resources, and advice to help make your life—at home or on the road—safer.

You are more likely to be a victim of property crime than any other type of crime. Prevention is the key to reducing your risk of victimization.

• Property crime makes up 83% of all crime in the US.¹
• In 2020, a property crime occurred every 4.9 seconds in the US.¹
• Approximately 20 property crimes were reported per 1,000 people in 2020.¹
• There were nearly 6.5 million property crimes reported in 2020—that’s 8% fewer than in 2019 and 33% fewer than in 2011.²
• 18% of Americans reported a personal experience with property crime in 2020, and 42% think a property crime could happen to them.³
• Package theft is the number one property crime concern across the US.³
• $17.5 billion worth of property was reported stolen in 2020, and 31.1% was recovered—an increase of 13% from 2016.²
  • Burglaries account for 16% of all property crimes and $2.8 billion worth (16%) of all property crime losses in 2020.
  • The average loss per burglary was nearly $2,700 in 2020.
  • Larceny-theft accounted for 71% of all property crimes and around $6.8 billion in losses.
  • The average loss per larceny-theft is just under $1,500 per incident.
  • Motor vehicle thefts are the most costly property crime, accounting for over $7 billion in losses, with the average loss per victim landing around $9,200.

• Only 14.6% of all property crime offenses were cleared by law enforcement in 2020.²
• Of all property crimes reported in the United States in 2020, 41.4% occurred in the South, followed by the West with 27.9%, the Midwest with 18.9%, and the Northeast with 11.9%.¹

Burglary isn’t the most common property crime in the US, but it accounted for 16% of all property crimes in 2020.

• More than 2,800 burglaries happen in the US every day—or just over 1 million annually—a decrease of 32% between 2016 and 2020.¹
• A burglar struck once every 30.5 seconds in the US in 2020—but 2020 saw 7% fewer burglaries year over year.¹
• The average dollar loss per burglary increased from $2,361 in 2016 to $2,692 in 2020.¹
• Police solve about 14% of all reported burglaries, mostly due to a lack of witnesses or physical evidence.²

• About 56% of all burglaries reported in 2020 were on residential property.¹
• Historically, the risk of burglary is higher for rental properties than occupant-owned properties.⁴
  • Consider the advantages of a wireless security system for renters.
• The rate of household burglaries tends to be highest in summer and lowest in winter or spring.⁵
• In 2020, 49% of all residential burglaries (in which a time was reported) occurred during the daytime.¹
  • Install interior and exterior motion-activated home security cameras so you can see what’s going on in and around your home when you’re away.
• Being the victim of a home burglary can increase the risk of future victimization for burglary, as offenders often target the same residence more than once.

• Roughly 56% of all burglaries involved forcible entry.¹
• Damaging, removing, or destroying a door is the most common type of entry used in burglaries.⁵
  • Install a SafeWise-recommended high-security door to make your home less penetrable.
• Burglars gain entry via open or unlocked doors or windows in more than half of all unoccupied residential break-ins.⁵
  • Add a smart lock to your home automation and home security system to control your door locks remotely.

According to the 2022 State of Safety report, 62% of Americans use some kind of security measure to protect their home.

• Security cameras are the most common form of home security used, followed by dogs, firearms, and security systems.³
• Despite Americans' belief that crime is on the rise, use of property protection measures fell 6% between 2019 and 2020.³
• 1 in 4 Americans use a security system to protect their home and property.³
• Nearly 40% of US residents don’t use any kind of security measures to protect their home.³

• Dog ownership has been found to reduce the likelihood of burglary and other property crime.
• About 60% of convicted burglars say the presence of an alarm would steer them to a different home to burglarize.⁶
• ADT has more than 6 million customers, which is more than any other US home security company.⁷
• The average amount of stolen property from a burglarized home totals $2,692.²
• Some homeowners insurance providers offer discounts up to 20% when homeowners install home security systems.

People tend to fear violent crimes the most, but you’re far less likely to fall victim to a violent crime like assault than a property crime like theft.

• The number of violent crimes reported in 2020 is 5.9% higher than the number reported in 2019.²
• 4 violent crimes were reported per 1,000 Americans in 2020.¹
• 10% of Americans reported a personal experience with violent crime in 2020.³
• 41% of Americans think a violent crime could happen to them.³
• In 2020, a violent crime—including aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery—occurred every 24 seconds.¹
• A robbery occurs every 2.2 minutes in the United States.¹

• Between 2003 and 2007, a household member was present in roughly one million burglaries and became a victim of violence about 26% of the time.⁵
• In 65.1% of all violent burglaries committed from 2003 to 2007, the perpetrators and victims knew each other.⁵
• The highest rate of burglaries committed with a household member present occur in homes occupied by single females with children.⁵
• The South reported more incidents of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter than any other region of the country, while the Northeast reported the fewest.¹

Local fire departments responded to over 1.3 million fire calls in 2020.⁸ Protect your home and loved ones with our complete Home Fire Safety Guide.

• 27% of all reported fires occur in residential homes.⁸
• On average, nearly 1,000 house fires happen every day in the US.⁹
  • We recommend installing a smart smoke alarm as part of your home security system so emergency personnel are alerted to a potential fire even if you’re not home.
• In 2020, an estimated $21.9 billion in property was damaged in US fires.⁸
  • Store valuable and irreplaceable items in a fire-resistant safe to help protect them from damage.
• Cooking is the leading cause of house fires, accounting for 49% of all residential fires.⁹
• Cooking-related fires peak on holidays with most occurring around Thanksgiving and Christmas.¹⁰

• Approximately 3 out of every 5 deaths caused by home fires occur on properties with no—or inoperable—smoke alarms.¹¹
  • Learn how to properly install and maintain your home’s smoke detectors. 
• The risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms.¹¹
• The majority—67%—of smoke alarm failures are caused by missing, disconnected, or dead batteries.¹¹
• About 5 million US homes don’t have a smoke alarm, despite being required by most localities across the country.¹¹

CO poisoning is the second-most common type of poisoning death in the US that’s not related to medication.

• Accidental CO poisoning kills about 430 people in the US every year.¹²
  • Learn the dangers of CO and consider enhancing your monitored home security system with a CO detector to reduce the risk of poisoning.
• Between 2005 and 2016, 849 people died from CO incidents involving portable generators.¹³
• Due to the dangers of CO, 38 states require homes to have CO detectors, either via state statute or building code.¹⁴

It’s hard to think about children suffering injuries that can lead to death. But we have more than statistics. We’ve also got a full suite of resources to keep little ones safe. 

• Around 283,000 children visit the emergency room (ER) each year for traumatic brain injuries. 45% of those visits are due to sport and playground-related injuries.¹⁸
• Approximately 96,000 ATV-related injuries were treated in ERs in the United States in 2019. 1 in 4 of these injuries involved children younger than 16 years of age.¹⁹
• There were an estimated 67,500 accidental pediatric poisonings treated in ERs in 2019—that’s a 5% decrease compared to 2018. ²⁰
• In 2019, 85% of all accidental poisonings in kids happened at home.²⁰

• Unintentional suffocation is the most frequent cause of injury deaths for children up to 1 year of age.¹⁵
• Unintentional drowning is the leading cause of injury deaths for children 1 to 4 years old.¹⁶
• Sadly, 3 children die every day from drowning.¹⁶
• Annually, nearly 90 children drown inside the home, with about 65% of these deaths occurring in bathtubs.¹⁷

The number of Americans aged 65 or higher has grown rapidly as Baby Boomers continue to reach this milestone. Baby Boomers tend to be healthier and more active than previous generations, but it’s still smart to pay attention to the tools and resources available to help us stay safe as we age.

• Someone aged 65 or higher falls every second of every day in the US.²¹
• 1 in 4 people 65 or older fall each year.²¹
  • Make your loved one’s home safer by installing grab bars, securing rugs, and illuminating dark areas.
• Falls are the number one cause of unintentional injury death for people 65 years and older, leading to over 32,000 deaths annually.²¹

• The highest prescription painkiller overdose rate occurs among middle-aged adults.²²
  • Home safety devices like automated pill dispensers can help prevent accidental overdoses.
• People aged 45 to 64 have some of the highest rates of suicide, accounting for 31% of all reported suicides.¹⁵
• In 2019, over 250,000 adults aged 65 and higher were treated in the ER for car crash injuries, with around 8,000 resulting in death.²³
• Every day, around 700 older adults are injured in a car crash, and more than 20 die from their injuries.²³

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for people ages 5 to 24.¹⁵

• Each day in the United States, about 8 people are killed—and more than 1,000 are injured—in crashes reported to involve a distracted driver.²⁴
• In 2019, almost 40% of high school students admitted texting or emailing at least once while driving in the past 30 days.²⁴
• Texting and emailing during driving is more common in older teens, jumping from 31% for 16-year-olds to 60% for 18-year-olds.²⁴

• Sadly, 29 people in the US die every day in car crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver—that’s 1 death every 50 minutes.²⁵
• Alcohol-involved crashes made up 28% of all traffic-related deaths in the US in 2016. That same year, over 1 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.²⁵
• In 2018, 12.6 million people reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs or marijuana.²⁵

• In 2019, more than 600 children under the age of 12 died in a motor vehicle accident, and 38% of these children weren’t restrained in any way.²⁶
• Properly installed car seats can reduce deadly injuries by 67% for infants and toddlers.²⁷
• Montana has the most child-car-crash fatalities, and Washington, DC has the fewest.²⁸

• More than 70% of roads in the US are located in snowy regions, and 70% of the US population lives in these regions.²⁹
• Each year, over 192,000 people are injured in snow- and ice-related accidents, and more than 2,200 are killed.²⁹
• 24% of all weather-related car crashes happen on slushy, icy, or snowy pavement, and 15% occur during snowfall or sleet conditions.²⁹

• State of Safety in America
• Safest Cities in America
• Safest Small Towns in America
• Safest College Towns in the US
• Most Dangerous Metro Cities in the US

1. FBI, Crime Data Explorer, Crime in the United States Annual Reports "CIUS Estimations File, 2020," September 2021. Accessed March 17, 2022.
2. FBI, Crime Data Explorer, Crime in the United States Annual Reports, Topic Pages File, 2020," September 2021. Accessed March 17, 2022.
3. SafeWise, "The State of Safety in America 2022," March 2022. Accessed March 17, 2022.
4. Shannan Catalano, US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Victimization During Household Burglary," September 2010. Accessed March 17, 2022.
5. Janet L. Lauritsen, Nicole White, US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Seasonal Patterns in Criminal Victimization Trends," June 2014. Accessed March 17, 2022.
6. Joseph B. Kuhns, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, "Understanding Decisions to Burglarize from the Offender's Perspective," December 2012. Accessed March 17, 2022.
7. ADT, "About ADT," Accessed March 17, 2022.
8. Marty Ahrens, Ben Evarts, National Fire Protection Association, "Fire Loss in the United States," September 2021. Accessed March 17, 2022.
9. Marty Ahrens, Radhika Maheshwari, National Fire Protection Association, "Home Structure Fires," November 2021. Accessed March 17, 2022.
10. Marty Ahrens, National Fire Protection Association, "Home Cooking Fires," July 2020. Accessed March 17, 2022.
11. Marty Ahrens, ​​National Fire Protection Association, "Smoke Alarms in US Home Fires," February 2021. Accessed March 17, 2022.
12. CDC, National Center for Environmental Health, "Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning Prevention," January 2022. Accessed March 17, 2022.
13. Matthew V. Hnatov, US Consumer Product Safety Commission, "Incidents, Deaths, and In-Depth Investigations Associated with Non-Fire Carbon Monoxide from Engine-Driven Generators and Other Engine-Driven Tools, 2005–2016," June 2017. Accessed March 17, 2022.
14. National Conference of State Legislatures, "Carbon Monoxide Detector Requirements, Laws, and Regulations," March 2018. Accessed March 17, 2022.
15. CDC, WISQARS, "Leading Causes of Death Reports," February 2020. Accessed March 17, 2022.
16. CDC, "Drowning Prevention," February 2019. Accessed March 17, 2022.
17. US Consumer Product Safety Commission, "In-Home Drowning Information Center," January 2016. Accessed March 17, 2022.
18. Kelly Sarmiento, Karen E. Thomas, Jill Daugherty, et al, CDC,  "Emergency Department Visits for Sports- and Recreation-Related Traumatic Brain Injuries Among Children—United States, 2010–2016," March 15, 2019. Accessed March 17, 2022.
19. John Topping, US Consumer Product Safety Commission, "2020 Report of Deaths and Injuries Involving Off-Highway Vehicles with More than Two Wheels," December 2020. Accessed March 17, 2022.
20. Angie Qin, US Consumer Product Safety Commission, "Unintentional Pediatric Poisoning Injury Estimates for 2019," January 2021. Accessed March 17, 2022.
21. CDC, "Keep on Your Feet—Preventing Older Adult Falls," December 2020. Accessed March 17, 2022.
22. CDC, "Prescription Painkiller Overdoses in the US," November 2011. Accessed March 17, 2022.
23. CDC, "Older Adult Drivers," November 2021. Accessed March 17, 2022.
24. CDC, "Distracted Driving," March 2021. Accessed March 17, 2022.
25. CDC, "Impaired Driving: Get the Facts," August 2020. Accessed March 17, 2022.
26. CDC, "Child Passenger Safety: Get the Facts," September 2021. Accessed March 17, 2022.
27. Thomas M. Rice, Craig L. Anderson, American Journal of Public Health, "Effectiveness of Child Restraint Systems for Children Aged 3 Years or Younger During Motor Vehicle Collisions: 1996–2005," February 2009. Accessed March 17, 2022.
28. SafeWise, "States with Highest and Lowest Child Car Crash Fatality Rates," February 15, 2022. Accessed March 17, 2022.
29. Federal Highway Administration, "Road Weather Management Program, Snow and Ice," February 2020. Accessed March 17, 2022.