A recent analysis by American Trucks has revealed stark contrasts in vehicle theft rates across California, with Oakland ranking as the city with the highest rate of car thefts in the United States, while Irvine and Thousand Oaks are listed among the safest large cities.
The study, which examined FBI National Incident-Based Reporting System data and US Census population estimates for 281 cities with populations over 100,000, ranked locations based on reported motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 residents. Oakland recorded 6,431 vehicle thefts in 2025, equating to nearly 1,459 thefts per 100,000 people. This rate is nearly 28 times higher than that of Irvine.
Beyond Oakland, five California cities landed in the nation's top 20 for vehicle theft rates, more than any other state. These include Inglewood, Antioch, Richmond, and Hayward. An additional twelve California cities, such as Long Beach, Downey, Lancaster, Vallejo, San Bernardino, San Jose, and Los Angeles, appeared in the top 50 nationwide.
Conversely, the study also identified California cities as havens for vehicle owners. Irvine was ranked ninth safest, at number 273 overall, with Thousand Oaks closely following at number 272. Carlsbad and Murrieta were also noted for their low vehicle theft rates.
Nationwide, an estimated 659,880 vehicles were stolen in 2025, a figure that translates to approximately one theft every 48 seconds. While this number remains significant, it represents a 35% decrease from the peak of over 1 million stolen vehicles reported in 2023.
Despite the national decline, California continues to bear a disproportionate share of vehicle thefts. In 2025, the state accounted for approximately 137,000 stolen vehicles, constituting about 21% of all vehicle thefts reported across the country. The findings suggest that a resident's location within California can significantly influence their risk of experiencing vehicle theft.