Optimism bias can make us neglect potential security risks. While it’d be great if we lived in a world where we can leave our doors unlocked and homes unprotected, burglaries are a very real situation we should all be aware of.
Knowing some 2024 home burglary statistics can help you better protect your belongings, your family, and yourself from potential home invasions.
How Common Are Burglaries?
On average, there’s a burglary once every 30 seconds in the United States. While many people believe that burglaries happen in the dead of night, they’re actually more common during the day.
Typically, the majority of break-ins occur between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The common misconception is that burglars want the cover of night to break into homes, but they’re actually prioritizing the time when it’s least likely for a person to be home.
As far as where these burglaries are happening, California and Texas had the highest number of burglaries by a large margin in 2020. While California and Texas had a combined 254,380 burglaries, Florida and North Carolina had a total of 102,245, yet were the third and fourth most burgled states respectively.
What are the Common Behaviors of Burglars?
When trying to protect your home from possible break-ins, it’s helpful to know the behaviors of burglars. Some of the important questions you should ask when looking to improve your home security include:
- What are the most common entry points for burglars?
- How long is the typical burglary?
- Do dogs actually prevent burglaries?
- Does home security even help?
In one survey, convicted burglars were surveyed about their behaviors, and 100% of them said that they knocked on the front door before breaking in. They also said they avoided homes that had a large dog. So, even if your pup is friendly, they might just be keeping your home safer than you think.
Once burglars have scoped out a home, 23% of them entered through a first-floor window, and 22% entered through a back door. Surprisingly, 34%of burglars say they enter through unlocked front doors. Once they enter, they often spend less than 10 minutes in the home.
3 Simple Tips to Protect Your Home From Burglaries
Now that you know a little more about burglars and their behaviors, here are some simple ways for you to protect your home.
Always Lock Up – This might be the easiest way to prevent burglaries. As you’ve learned, more than a third of burglars enter through unlocked front doors. Hence, it’s important to make a habit of always locking windows and doors before leaving your property.
Get Cameras – Thanks to the benefits of new technologies like smartphones and web-based services, we have better visual evidence of when break-ins are happening.
Use Dummy Cameras – While using old cell phones for surveillance is a far wiser option for securing your home, you can also use fake cameras to protect your home. In a previous post, we discussed one study that showed that visual signs of security may help decrease the likelihood of a break-in, much like how the presence of a dog can potentially deter break-ins.
Conclusion
It’s always better to be safe than sorry; by having homeowners or renters insurance, you can have a little peace of mind that if a break-in were to occur, you’d be covered. In the event of a burglary, theft insurance can help compensate you for stolen belongings.
With a combination of just a little bit of security, insurance, and maybe even a pet, you can rest easy and not worry as much about break-ins.
Recommended reading: The New Homeowner’s Security Checklist: 8 Things You Need To Do