Porch Pirates Data: States getting hit the worst with package theft?
Treasure chests no longer sit at the bottom of the sea – now they come wrapped in a cardboard box with an arrow that looks like a smiley face reading “Amazon.” We’re talking about modern-day buccaneers: porch pirates. It’s like a high-stakes game of chance every time you order something online.
An estimated $13 billion worth of package theft has hit the US. All across the suburbs of the US (and cities too), Americans are plagued with package theft problems. Some companies reimburse, while others shrug their shoulders. Despite the wave of new technologies like Ring doorbells and employing old ones like yapping dogs, porch piracy remains on the rise.
We wanted to know which cities and states porch pirates are hitting the most and what exactly is being stolen. By surveying 3,000 Americans who have been victim to said problem, we were able to collect the data necessary to figure out the deal with package theft: what’re they stealing, how are we stopping it, and does your video doorbell really make a difference or are they just smiling for the camera?
Key findings:
- Washington DC is getting hit the hardest with porch pirates at 80%
- Philadelphia named the capital of package theft with 82% regular thievery
- Nebraska was deemed the safest state with the nation’s lowest package theft rate
- 20% of Americans “protect” against package theft by working from home
- Amazon packages were the #1 stolen item followed by food deliveries for #2
States Suffering the Most Package Theft
Is it any wonder that the top location for porch piracy is the 3rd most affluent city (correction, district) in the country? Washington DC is the #1 location for porch piracy. Call it a state, province, or “no man’s land,” it’s all the same for porch pirates, where over 80% of its residents have faced the problem of package theft. Another 80% responded that they’ve had the problem as recently as this year and another 20% have had the problem just within the past months, proving that it’s an ongoing issue. To combat the problem, the DC police force has been conducting sting operations to bait the pirates with fake Amazon boxes and enticing packages.
As it turns out, the West Coast pirates are just as stealthy! Oregon ranked #2 for most porch piracy in the US. 71% of Oregonians have had to deal with package theft in one way or another. 80% of packages stolen in Oregon are Amazon, but another 16% are UPS. No delivery is safe; it’s like playing Russian roulette with your parcels.
They say the Midwest is known for mannerisms, but Missouri thieves would disagree. Snatching packages off doorsteps isn’t particularly pleasant! Coming into 3rd place, 68% of Missourians have unfortunately had to face the porch pirate problem. 57% of Missourians have a negative feeling about the government’s involvement in this. 40% of residents indicated that they feel the government is doing absolutely nothing to solve the package theft problem. Sounds like citizen vigilante is just a matter of time.
Safe and Sound: States Facing Minimum Porch Piracy
Some of our ships (states) are facing smoother seas. Some states feel comfortable ordering a package and knowing it’s going to be there when they get home. On the other end of the spectrum, these are the states that face minimal porch piracy.
According to the FBI, the crime rate in Nebraska is lower than the national average. The same is true for porch piracy, where Nebraska ranks as the #1 safest state for porch piracy. Fortunately, less than 25% of its citizens have faced package theft. Amongst those 25% affected, 84% haven’t faced this problem in over 6 months.
Following a similarly low crime rate, Maine is deemed a generally safe state. Maine comes #2 for the lowest porch piracy rate in the country. ?Like Nebraska, Maine residents only face this problem once or twice a year, on average. They’ve hit the jackpot when it comes to package safety.
Hoo faces lower package theft rates than the Hoosier State? Indiana comes in 3rd place for the best state against package theft. Their secret? 41% of Indianans use some sort of security system to protect against getting their boxes stolen. Another 15% feel comfortable enough to send it to a neighbor. Aww.
Worst Porch Pirate Cities
Although it may seem that cities stand a better chance against package theft, with many buildings having doormen and a higher availability of package lockers, but that wouldn’t tell the whole story. Cities are just as susceptible to package theft and, if anything, more. Some statistics find that crime is as high as 75% more prevalent in urban areas than rural and porch piracy is no exception.
Was it porch pirates he was referring to when the Fresh Prince said: “a couple of guys started making trouble in his neighborhood”? We may never know, but one thing we do know is that Philadelphia is the porch pirate capital of the US. 82% of Philadelphians face porch piracy regularly. Not surprisingly, residents also had one of the most negative attitudes towards government support on the matter. Almost 70% of Philadelphians cited that the government is doing “nothing” to stop the problem. Guess it’s not always sunny in Philadelphia.
Not far away, the Big Apple places #2 in facing similar, rampant issues with package theft. According to Nyc.gov, as many as 90,000 packages are stolen per day. As many buildings lack sufficient security for package drops, porch pirates see it as a prime location to get more loot without having to go the distance. From our findings, 81% regularly face porch piracy in the city. New Yorkers also had the most negative view toward government response. 83% think the NYC administration has done nothing to prevent package theft. A whopping 0% had something nice to say about the governmental efforts to stop stolen parcels. You want to order a package in New York and have it delivered? Fuhgeddaboudit.
To round off the worst cities for porch piracy is New Orleans at #3. Fondly coined the “Big Easy” New Orleans is known for fun and good times. But all that rowdiness is prime for porch piracy. Thieves seize the relatively low security measures thus causing 80% of respondents to indicate that they’ve been victim to package theft. With that in mind, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that 60% of residents are worried the problem will grow worse in Summer.
Orlando and Los Angeles took fourth and fifth place for package theft with 78% and 75% reporting respectively.
Protection against package theft: remote work, guard dogs & guns?
Rob me once, shame on you. Rob me twice and I’m getting a bat! At least that’s what one NYC resident did when he was tired of being constantly robbed. Just last month, resident Mejia put out decoy packages filled with french fries and…dog poop to lure in criminals. Said criminals were met with Mejia and his baseball bat.
As residents get more and more fed up with package theft, some are turning to violence, decoys, and other tactics. Apart from security systems, the #1 reason respondents said they work from home just to avoid package theft. For those who can’t work remotely, the second choice was using package lockers to guard their goods. The #4 security measure used Rex to ruff away the criminals with “guard dog” as their top response.
At the bottom of the data, we find very friendly and unfriendly responses. 9% feel comfortable enough to leave packages with neighbors who they know will be home. Another 4% are following Mejia’s approach and keeping porch pirates at bay with guns.
Food is the #1 item to be stolen for many
Don’t worry, your kitty water fountain is probably not at risk of being stolen. Your In-N-Out order on the other hand? Not so safe. With Amazon dominating the delivery scene it’s only natural that the majority (59%) of stolen packages are from Bezos.
What we didn’t expect is what came into savory second place. Food deliveries are being stolen by 6x a month for those who order regularly! 22% of respondents said they faced food delivery theft with providers like, but not limited to, Uber Eats, Deliveroo, DoorDash, Hello Fresh, and more.
Summary
Yo ho, yo ho, it’s a pirate’s life for many, but Americans aren’t taking it! With many residents opting to survey the premises with Ring doorbells or send boxes directly to package lockers, it’s no longer such smooth sailing for these pirates.
Over half (53%) of Americans have faced package theft at least once before. Another half of respondents are worried that the summer months could bring worse thievery as delivery frequency increases. Make sure your house is safe against skulls and sabers before your deliveries get snatched!?Don’t gamble with your packages – stack the deck in your favor with some preventative measures.
Methodology
In May 2024, we surveyed 3,000 Americans asking a number of questions regarding package theft. The age range was between 18-65 with all participants residing in the United States. Over half — 56% — were female, 42% were male, 1% identified as trans or non-binary, and 1% listed “other”.
Fair Use
Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.
For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org
