Household Burglary, 1994-2011

• NCJ Number: 241754
• Author(s): Jennifer Hardison Walters, M.S.W.; Andrew Moore, M.Stat.; Marcus Berzofsky, Dr.P.H.; Lynn Langton, Ph.D.
• Date Published: June 2013
• Length: 18 pages
• Publication Series: BJS Special Reports
• Agencies: BJS
• Publication Type: Statistics

Annotation

This special report from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, presents data on household burglary rates for the period 1994 through 2011.

Abstract

Presents rates and trends in household burglary from 1993 to 2011. The report explores overall trends in household burglary and examines patterns in completed household burglary by type and value of items stolen, percentage of burglaries reported to the police and insurance companies, and police response. It also describes the characteristics of victimized households. Data are from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which collects information on nonfatal crimes, reported and not reported to the police, from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households.

• The rate of household burglary decreased 56% from 1994 to 2011, from a peak of 63.4 victimizations per 1,000 U.S. households in 1994 to 27.6 victimizations per 1,000 households in 2011.
• From 1994 to 2011, the rate of completed burglary decreased by at least half across households headed by persons of all races and Hispanic origin.
• Among all completed burglaries, those involving the theft of an electronic device or household appliance increased from 28% in 2001 to 34% in 2011.