The Worst States for Porch Pirates 2022

While the Covid-19 pandemic remains in our rearview mirror, our digitalized habits linger on. Remote work, online classes, and an increased reliance on technology have both eased and detrimentally influenced our lives.

Unsurprisingly online shopping has remained at the forefront of these habits; eCommerce has allowed for a simpler transactional process when purchasing anything from clothing to homeware and groceries. Based on the previous year’s success thesocialshepherd projects eCommerce sales to reach $7.4 trillion by 2025. Unfortunately, this modern-day luxury has led to the emergence of porch pirates in increased numbers.

Porch Pirates – A Modern-Day Treasure Voyage

According to Security.org statistics, 49 million Americans have been victims of at least one package stolen in the past 12 months. They state package theft rates are increasing; therefore, with the influx of deliveries approaching this upcoming holiday, there’s bound to be high amounts of porch piracy throughout.

We’ve published an annual Porch Piracy Report on package theft search volumes for the past two years. These studies aim to outline the lowest and highest rates of stolen packages on both a state and national level. We cross-analyze the search data and compare current trends to the previous year to track each state’s ranking.

Before we dive into the results, let’s review the methodology. Utilizing Google Ads, we gathered data on the average number of monthly searches for keywords suggesting package theft and where these searches occur. The search terms we used are:

• “Stolen Package”
• “USPS Stolen Package”
• “UPS Stolen Package”
• “FedEx Package Stolen”
• “Amazon Package Stolen”

We standardize this data on a per-capita basis to determine the monthly rate of searches per 100,000 people in each state, thereby accounting for each state’s total population. These calculations are subsequently used to track and rank the fifty states for their package theft search volume. Below are the updated charts for the 25 lowest and highest rates in 2022.

States with the lowest rates of package theft searches

In 2022, the state with the smallest package theft search volume was Utah, with a rate of just 1.08 per 100,000 people, displaying a huge turnaround considering Utah held the 7^th highest search volume in 2021. In October 2022, KSL.com revealed Salt Lake City, Utah’s implementation of its crime reduction plan’s 3^rd phase. The ‘data-driven plan’ has most likely influenced porch pirates for the better, alongside proven reductions in violent crime.

Like 2021’s data, 4 of the 5 lowest states for overall search rate reside within Southern USA. Reaffirming suggestions about the south being safer than the north in a porch piracy context. South Carolina has seen a rise in searches per 100,000, growing from 0.65 (1^st) to 1.31 (4^th). Additionally, while Kansas has remained at 1.16 searches per 100,000 people, they have moved from 4^th to 2^nd place this year.

States with the highest rates of package theft searches

North Dakota remains in 1^st place, maintaining last year’s eight searches per 100,000 people.  Alaska replaces New York, becoming the only newcomer within the top 3 with 6.35 searches per 100,000.

Alternatively, Illinois breaks into the upper echelon of package thefts, rising from 2.23 to 2.48. Wisconsin follows suit, displaying a rise of 0.22 searches per 100,000 people within the past year.

Newcomer to this research series - California has gone straight into the top 5. The state also holds the most searches (2650) by some distance. The Guardian revealed California’s general theft rates have skyrocketed since the pandemic, coinciding with the large scale of porch piracy.

Concluding 2022’s data set, porch piracy rates have increased more across the states deemed safest in 2021. Therefore, it's most likely porch piracy will grow parallel to the highly successful eCommerce industry.

Tips to prevent package theft

As with previous years, we would like to provide a few preventative measures you can take to reduce the risk of porch piracy on your property.

1. Provide detailed shipping instructions for delivery drivers to place your parcels in specific locations.
2. Deliver your packages to a commercial address or lockbox if possible. This will allow carriers to drop off your order inside a safe location, eliminating the risk of theft while waiting for pick up.
3. Expedited delivery options are a great way to ensure your items are delivered when you can pick them up.
4. Requiring a signature for each order means your package can only be delivered when you bring it inside.
5. If you have the means, installing a security camera will provide you with evidence to pursue legal action against porch pirates.