| Quick Facts: Burglary Statistics | | | | occurred at night. |
| What is considered a burglary... | | | | * A burglary takes place in the U.S. every 14.6 |
| Burglary is defined as the unlawful entry of a | | | | seconds according to the Uniform Crime Reporting |
| structure to commit a felony or theft. The use of | | | | Program Crime Clock. |
| force to gain entry is not required to classify an | | | | * According to the FBI Preliminary Semiannual Uniform |
| offense as a burglary. Burglary is categorized into | | | | Crime Report, January-June, 2006, "burglary offenses |
| three sub classifications: forcible entry, unlawful entry | | | | showed an increase, up 1.2 percent from the 2005 |
| where no force is used, and attempted forcible | | | | level." |
| entry. | | | | * Overall, in about 84% of all burglaries, the offender |
| Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report 2005 | | | | gained entry into the victim's residence or other |
| Burglary Facts and Statistics... | | | | building on the property. |
| * Property crime makes up slightly more than | | | | Source: Crime in the United States 2005 Department |
| three-quarters of all crime in the United States | | | | of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation Release |
| * In 2005, law enforcement agencies reported an | | | | Date: September 2006 |
| estimated 2,154,126 burglary offenses-a 0.5-percent | | | | Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics |
| increase compared with 2004 data. | | | | Where Burglars Enter a House... |
| * An examination of 5- and 10-year trends revealed a | | | | One survey in Pennsylvania showed that 81 percent |
| 1.8-percent increase in the number of burglaries | | | | of residential intrusions occur through the first floor. |
| compared with the 2001 estimate, and a 14.1-percent | | | | 34 percent of burglars entered through the front |
| decline from the 1996 number. | | | | door; |
| * Burglary accounted for 21.2 percent of the | | | | 23 percent through a first-floor window; |
| estimated number of property crimes committed in | | | | 22 percent through the back door; |
| 2005. The average dollar loss per burglary offense in | | | | 9 percent through the garage; |
| 2005 was $1,725. | | | | 4 percent entered through a basement; |
| * Of all burglary offenses in 2005, 65.8 percent were | | | | 4 percent through an unlocked entrance; |
| of residential structures. | | | | 2 percent through a storage area;and only 2 percent |
| * Most (62.4 percent) of residential burglaries in 2005 | | | | entered anywhere on the second floor. |
| for which time of occurrence was known took place | | | | A study in Connecticut showed that 12 percent of |
| during the day, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. | | | | burglaries occurred through an UNLOCKED door and |
| * Among burglaries of nonresidential structures when | | | | that in 41 percent of alarmed homes that were |
| time of occurrence was known, 58.0 percent | | | | burglarized, the security system was not turned on. |