Virginia Not Among 10 States With the Worst Porch Pirate Problems
With the popularity of online shopping over the last two decades, porch pirates have become more of a threat to customers’ property. Whatever you’re ordering could end up in the hands of a thief who takes advantage of a package dropped off and left at your doorstep.
The chances of your packages being stolen may come down to which state you call home.
iPostal1 breaks down the numbers and ranks the states that have the highest and lowest risk of theft from porch pirates. Virginians, you can breathe a sigh of relief.
Looking Into Porch Thefts
iPostal1 examined online search results from March 2023 to March 2024 in all 50 states to determine where Americans are most impacted by porch theft. Examples of search terms with porch theft keywords they researched are “Amazon delivery stolen” and “USPS lost mail.”
That said, porch pirates paint a small picture of the overall theft levels of a given state. For example, the District of Columbia and the state of Washington come in the first two spots in terms of property crime in the U.S. We’d also like to see iPostal1 run a porch pirate study on cities, which would help further narrow down where stolen packages most frequently occur.
With those caveats under our belt, these are the top ten states where packages are more likely to be stolen, starting with the state that appears to struggle the most with porch pirates. Click through the slideshow below to see the stats.
Where Porch Thefts Decrease
It’s pretty much impossible to completely prevent porch theft in any given state. However, iPostal1’s data indicates that Americans can feel more confident with their delivery person dropping off their packages in these states, which are the least likely to have packages stolen.
For the Win
Packages are least likely to be stolen from porches in Michigan. In terms of safety within the Great Lakes States, a few cities rise above the rest. Residents in the Michigan cities of Adrian, Oakland, and Addison are reportedly safer there than other cities in the state.
In the same report, more than half of the Michiganders surveyed said that package theft was a major concern for them. Thirty-nine percent of those Michiganders surveyed also said they experienced package theft in the last 12 months.
The Idaho Caveat
Idaho doesn’t appear on the top ten safest states for porch pirates, which goes against the grain for the Gem State’s other safety stats.
Case in point? U.S. News ranks Idaho in first place for the lowest property crime in the U.S.
Porch Theft Trending Upward
Package thefts have reportedly risen over the last few years. A Security.org survey shows the average percentage of Americans who have had packages stolen increased from 41% in 2020 to 44% in 2023.
During the busy holiday shopping season in 2023, approximately $74 billion worth of shipped goods were at risk of getting stolen from customers’ doorsteps. A little over 100 million Americans were expected to leave their homes for at least six hours during the holiday season, which increased the threat of porch theft.
Preventing Porch Pirate Thefts
Whether or not you live in a state more prone to porch pirates, experts recommend ways to prevent package theft. One easy way is to have security cameras with lights or a video doorbell that is visible for any potential porch pirates to see. Another way to protect your packages is to invest in installing a porch lock box or a mailbox large enough for packages that would normally be left outside.
There are ways to get help from others to stop porch theft, too. You can give instructions to delivery workers to hide packages, whether it’s under outdoor furniture or behind a gated area. Furthermore, asking trustworthy neighbors to keep an eye on your packages being delivered is another easy way to stop thieves from taking items from your doorstep.
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