1 Washington city leads the nation in overnight burglaries, another not far behind

Washington is seeing more overnight burglaries than just about anywhere else in the country. Two of the state’s cities landed in the top five nationally, with one taking the No. 1 spot.

Seattle is the most at-risk major city in the country for nighttime home break-ins. At the same time, Spokane had the third-highest overnight residential burglary rate, according to a new report from home security company Vivint.

Seattle has 234.6 break-ins per 100,000 residents, while Spokane reported 182.1 break-ins per 100,000 residents between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. in 2024. The city with the second highest number of break-ins in the U.S. was Cleveland, Ohio, at 196.9 incidents per 100,000 residents.

Meanwhile, the safest cities were Frisco, Texas; Irvine, California; and Gilbert, Arizona. Frisco only saw 5.9 incidents per 100,000 residents, while Irvine saw 6.5, and Gilbert reported 7.5.

Washington cracks top 5 for most overnight burglaries

Looking statewide, North Dakota, Washington, and New Mexico saw the highest overnight rates per capita in 2024, each reporting more than 50 incidents per 100,000 residents. Washington specifically saw 61.3 incidents per 100,000 residents — making it the second-highest state at risk of nighttime break-ins.

The safest states at night were New Hampshire, with 4.9 incidents per 100,000 residents, Hawaii with 8.4, and Vermont with 9.1.

Vivint pulled data from the FBI and surveyed 1,000 Americans to understand how safety varies across the country.

A Vivint spokesperson told MyNorthwest that home protection habits nationwide lag behind basic ones, noting that while 93% of Americans lock their front doors before bed, only 46% lock their windows, just 20% activate a security system at night, and 15% have a professionally monitored system. Other households relied more on personal protection, with 27% reporting they keep a weapon nearby while sleeping.

“Nearly 1 in 10 (7%) don’t lock their doors at all, and 21% have experienced a break-in at their own home or a neighbor’s,” the spokesperson added.

Preventing break-ins

To help prevent break-ins, Vivint urged residents to do more than just lock the door, recommending they also secure windows, turn on outdoor lights, and use a security system.

Vivint noted Americans are taking steps to prevent break-ins, with 46% making changes to their home security in the past year, including 23% adding security cameras, and 17% adding exterior lighting.

“Simple improvements like these can help strengthen nighttime peace of mind,” Vivint stated.

However, the vast majority of Americans aren’t losing sleep over burglaries. Despite more than 20% experiencing a break-in nearby and 18% worrying about nighttime break-ins, 87% said they still feel at least somewhat safe after dark.

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