Package Theft During Covid-19

Online shopping has become even more popular during the Covid-19 pandemic as consumers seek out ways to conveniently shop safely. And with package deliveries piling up on doorsteps across the country, reports of package theft have also piled up. But which cities experience the most package theft? 

We analyzed Google search volume in U.S. cities to determine where package theft has been the most prevalent during the pandemic. 

Where are Packages Stolen the Most? 

After analyzing search volume for terms related to package theft, it’s clear that cities from coast to coast have been affected by “porch pirates.” In fact, within the top 10 list of cities searching the most for package theft, there are very few regional patterns. Cities in the Midwest, Northeast, West and Southeast can all be found in the top 10. St. Louis tops the list followed by Minneapolis, Jersey City, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Buffalo, Seattle, Oakland, Orlando and Cincinnati. 

It might not come as a surprise that California is home to the most cities on our list considering that it is the most populous state in the country. Overall, 15 cities from The Golden State make an appearance within the top 50 followed by 11 cities in Texas, five in Florida and Arizona, and four in Ohio and North Carolina. 

Package Theft: Where America’s Largest Cities Rank

It’s interesting to note that some of the nation’s largest cities are ranked lower on our top 50 list. For example, New York ranked No. 46 and Chicago ranked No. 42. Other large cities like Los Angeles ranked No. 61 and Houston ranked No. 73. 

It’s difficult to pinpoint why these cities are experiencing high volumes of package theft, but one factor could be due to the concentration of wealth within many of these cities. With more disposable income on hand, consumers in some of these cities could be more likely to order items online through sites like Amazon. Of the top five cities on our list, four have a median income above the national average, which is $61,937, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Regardless of where you live, it’s important to keep a watchful eye on package deliveries whenever they’re being delivered to your home. Thieves can take advantage of deliveries by quickly grabbing packages off front porches and doorsteps. Doorbell security cameras, shipment tracking and requiring a signature for deliveries are all ways that consumers can deter thieves and keep their deliveries safe. 

 Methodology 

Using the Google AdWords platform, we analyzed search volume trends for “stolen Amazon package,” “stolen package,” “package theft,” “report stolen package” and more than 300 related terms and keywords from March 2020 to November 2020 in cities with a population of 250,000 or more, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 

For media inquiries, contact media@digitalthirdcoast.net.

Fair Use

Feel free to use this data and research with proper attribution linking to this study. Please properly credit and link to bid-on-equipment.com.