Original analysis of FBI, Census and NOAA data
Raleigh lock and key data: car theft, burglary, new movers
The Raleigh Police Department's area recorded 2,357 vehicle thefts in 2024, a rate of 483 per 100,000 residents against 258 nationally. In 2025 the count fell to 1,575, still 1.5 times the national rate. Burglary is half what it was in 2010, but since 2023 it has run above the national rate.
Vehicle thefts per 100,000 residents, Raleigh Police Department area vs. United States
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Burglaries per 100,000 residents, Raleigh vs. United States
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What we found
- Car theft more than doubled, then eased. Raleigh recorded 983 vehicle thefts in 2019 and 2,357 in 2024. In 2025 it was 1,575, down 33% from the peak but still about 4.3 vehicles a day. What drove it.
- The monthly count peaked at 277 in July 2024. Raleigh police said in May 2023 that Kias and Hyundais made up 19 percent of the city's vehicle thefts that spring (CBS 17).
- Burglary is down from 2010, but above the national rate. 3,021 burglaries in 2010, 1,529 in 2025. The 2025 rate, 301 per 100,000, was 1.5 times the national 195, mostly because burglary fell faster nationally.
- Cary is a different story. The Cary Police Department recorded 150 vehicle thefts in 2025, 81 per 100,000 against 200 nationally, and 131 burglaries. Its own spike came in 2023, at 351 thefts.
- A lot of people have new front doors. 140,402 of the 459,571 households in the 29 ZIP codes we cover moved in during 2020 or later (31%). The highest shares are in Village District, Hillsborough St (27605, 56%), Morrisville (27560, 45%), West Raleigh, Meredith (27607, 44%). Each move is a set of old keys still out there. Rekey after you move.
- Renters: 36% of households rent, 165,700 in all.
- Heat: RDU averaged 64 days a year at 90°F or hotter from 2016 to 2025, up from 52 in 1991 to 2020, and 20 days at 95°F or hotter. July alone averages 24. Locked out of a hot car.
Vehicle thefts reported each month, Raleigh Police Department
Average days a month that reach 90°F or hotter, Raleigh-Durham International Airport
Vehicle thefts per 100,000 residents, Cary vs. United States
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The Cary Police Department has reported a vehicle theft rate well below the national rate in every complete year since 2010. Thefts there jumped from 78 in 2019 to 351 in 2023, the same years the Kia and Hyundai method spread, and have fallen since. Burglary in Cary, 71 per 100,000 in 2025, is a fraction of the national 195.
By year, Raleigh Police Department
| Year | Vehicle thefts | Per 100,000 | US per 100,000 | Burglaries | Per 100,000 | US per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 870 | 215 | 241 | 3,021 | 748 | 702 |
| 2011 | 914 | 224 | 232 | 2,985 | 730 | 702 |
| 2012 | 931 | 221 | 232 | 3,036 | 722 | 673 |
| 2013 | 705 | 164 | 224 | 3,157 | 736 | 611 |
| 2019 | 983 | 206 | 221 | 1,511 | 316 | 334 |
| 2020 | 1,327 | 275 | 247 | 1,333 | 276 | 309 |
| 2021 | 1,078 | 224 | 240 | 1,337 | 278 | 264 |
| 2022 | 1,207 | 256 | 290 | 1,225 | 260 | 276 |
| 2023 | 1,909 | 395 | 326 | 1,515 | 314 | 253 |
| 2024 | 2,357 | 483 | 258 | 1,363 | 279 | 232 |
| 2025 | 1,575 | 310 | 200 | 1,529 | 301 | 195 |
FBI Crime Data Explorer, summarized agency data, offenses reported. 2014 to 2018 are left out because months are missing during Raleigh's switch to NIBRS reporting. NIBRS counts some offenses differently from the older summary system, so compare 2010 to 2013 with later years with care.
By year, Cary Police Department
| Year | Vehicle thefts | Per 100,000 | US per 100,000 | Burglaries | Per 100,000 | US per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 64 | 47 | 241 | 535 | 396 | 702 |
| 2011 | 65 | 47 | 232 | 370 | 270 | 702 |
| 2012 | 63 | 45 | 232 | 370 | 262 | 673 |
| 2013 | 60 | 40 | 224 | 392 | 263 | 611 |
| 2014 | 55 | 36 | 217 | 325 | 210 | 538 |
| 2015 | 55 | 34 | 223 | 329 | 205 | 490 |
| 2016 | 59 | 36 | 240 | 234 | 142 | 467 |
| 2018 | 62 | 36 | 231 | 247 | 145 | 373 |
| 2019 | 78 | 45 | 221 | 187 | 108 | 334 |
| 2020 | 116 | 67 | 247 | 197 | 113 | 309 |
| 2021 | 104 | 59 | 240 | 181 | 102 | 264 |
| 2022 | 140 | 78 | 290 | 300 | 168 | 276 |
| 2023 | 351 | 192 | 326 | 218 | 119 | 253 |
| 2024 | 215 | 118 | 258 | 162 | 89 | 232 |
| 2025 | 150 | 81 | 200 | 131 | 71 | 195 |
Households by ZIP code
Renters and recent movers are where rekeying comes up most. Vehicles per household is a rough guide to how many car keys a neighborhood has to lose.
| ZIP | Area | Households | Rent | Moved in 2020+ | Median year built | Vehicles per household |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27502 | Apex | 17,368 | 18% | 27% | 2005 | 1.9 |
| 27511 | Cary, downtown and east | 13,557 | 33% | 25% | 1982 | 1.8 |
| 27513 | Cary north, Preston | 19,966 | 36% | 26% | 1995 | 1.8 |
| 27518 | Cary south | 8,567 | 34% | 29% | 1998 | 1.9 |
| 27519 | Cary west | 24,513 | 31% | 31% | 2008 | 1.9 |
| 27523 | Apex northwest | 7,905 | 28% | 39% | 2008 | 1.9 |
| 27526 | Fuquay-Varina | 22,625 | 20% | 27% | 2005 | 2.1 |
| 27529 | Garner | 21,417 | 29% | 25% | 2001 | 2 |
| 27539 | Apex south | 8,709 | 17% | 19% | 2004 | 2.1 |
| 27540 | Holly Springs | 15,996 | 19% | 32% | 2007 | 2.1 |
| 27545 | Knightdale | 12,089 | 30% | 30% | 2005 | 1.9 |
| 27560 | Morrisville | 16,790 | 59% | 45% | 2008 | 1.7 |
| 27571 | Rolesville | 3,056 | 9% | 27% | 2012 | 2.2 |
| 27587 | Wake Forest | 29,545 | 19% | 27% | 2006 | 2.2 |
| 27601 | Downtown Raleigh | 4,754 | 74% | 42% | 2005 | 1.2 |
| 27603 | South Raleigh, Dix Park | 21,942 | 39% | 31% | 2000 | 2 |
| 27604 | East Raleigh, New Hope | 18,867 | 45% | 29% | 1991 | 1.6 |
| 27605 | Village District, Hillsborough St | 3,754 | 71% | 56% | 1989 | 1.4 |
| 27606 | West Raleigh, Lake Johnson | 19,647 | 62% | 42% | 1991 | 1.7 |
| 27607 | West Raleigh, Meredith | 10,441 | 56% | 44% | 1996 | 1.7 |
| 27608 | Five Points, Hayes Barton | 5,375 | 24% | 28% | 1970 | 1.9 |
| 27609 | Midtown, North Hills | 17,592 | 50% | 33% | 1982 | 1.5 |
| 27610 | Southeast Raleigh | 28,807 | 40% | 28% | 1999 | 1.9 |
| 27612 | Northwest Raleigh, Crabtree | 20,162 | 46% | 31% | 1993 | 1.7 |
| 27613 | Leesville, Northwest Raleigh | 18,982 | 30% | 25% | 1994 | 1.9 |
| 27614 | North Raleigh, Wakefield | 13,747 | 29% | 25% | 2003 | 2 |
| 27615 | North Raleigh, Six Forks | 19,274 | 28% | 25% | 1989 | 1.9 |
| 27616 | Northeast Raleigh, Triangle Town Center | 23,949 | 44% | 31% | 2005 | 1.8 |
| 27617 | Brier Creek | 10,175 | 57% | 42% | 2006 | 1.6 |
Area names are our shorthand for the main neighborhood or town in each ZIP. Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (tables B25003, B25038, B25035, B25046). Click a column to sort.
How we built this
Crime. FBI Crime Data Explorer summarized data for the Raleigh Police Department (ORI NC0920100) and the Cary Police Department (NC0920300), monthly offenses and rates per 100,000, 2010 to 2025, pulled October 28, 2026. Each rate covers the department's own jurisdiction, so it does not cover Garner, Apex, Wake Forest or the Wake County Sheriff's Office. A year counts only if all twelve months were reported.
Homes. US Census American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates by ZIP Code Tabulation Area, from the Census Bureau API. "Moved in 2020 or later" adds owners and renters whose householder moved in from 2020 on.
Weather. NOAA NCEI daily summaries for Raleigh-Durham International Airport (USW00013722), January 1, 1945 to October 24, 2026.
Limits. Reported crime is not all crime, and a citywide rate says nothing about a single block. Use this to understand the area, not to judge a neighborhood.
Using this data. You are welcome to cite or republish these charts and tables with a link to this page (CC BY 4.0).