According to the 1996 FBI Uniform Crime Reports, an auto theft occurred every 23 seconds in the United States with nearly 1.4 million vehicles stolen. The lowest percentage of auto thefts occurs in February and April, probably because of fewer days in the month. See the list of Top 25 Stolen Cars in 1997-1999 on this web site.
Auto theft is largely a big-city crime.
See the Top 10 Auto Theft Cities . In 1996, metropolitan areas experienced a vehicle theft rate of 1,223 per 100,000 population compared to a national rate of 526 per capita. Small cities, with less than 10,000 inhabitants, reported a car theft rate of 247 per 100,000 population and rural counties had a rate of only 126 per capita. Obviously, population density makes a difference in the auto theft rate, but the urban reality is that more cars are parked on the street or in open parking lots than in secured personal garages in suburban and rural settings. Also, the urban crush of cars makes it very difficult for the police to identify a recently stolen car from among the thousands of similar looking vehicles in traffic.