Philly Scores Well in Car Thefts Report, Insurance Group Says

Residents may feel their cars could get stolen in Philadelphia, but apparently, 110 metropolitan areas nationwide are worse.

In an annual report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau analyzing auto thefts, the Philadelphia area ranked as the 111th top hot spot for stolen cars throughout the United States.

With 13,171 thefts reported in 2011, the Philadelphia metropolitan area, which included Camden, NJ, scored very well.

The NICB provided that caveat that "an area with a much smaller population and a moderate number of thefts can—and often does—have a higher theft rate than an area with a much more significant vehicle theft problem and a larger population to absorb it."

However, Philadelphia did score better than Los Angles, San Francisco, Chicago, St. Louis, Phoenix, Houston, and Washington, DC. New York City ranked 193rd—besting Philly.

Overall, the report said, thefts decreased nationwide 3.3 percent.

The West Coast was represented negatively, as Fresno, CA; Modesto, CA; and Bakersfield-Delano, CA; were the top three worst. Nine of the top 10 are West Coast areas, with Anderson, SC, the only exception.

View the entire report here.