You read that right, 1370.37%!
Catalytic converter thefts have been plaguing the country since the start of the pandemic as thieves took advantage of unsuspecting car owners at never before seen levels. New data from BeenVerified, a public data company, shows that since 2019, catalytic converter thefts have skyrocketed 1370.37% in Kansas in three years.
The study, Catalytic Converter Thefts Hit New Record in 2022—But Some States See Declines includes state by state crime data from January 2019 through 2022. The study estimates that the theft of catalytic converters quadrupled across the U.S. in 2021, a 353% increase from all reported thefts of catalytic converters in 2020, a previous record year for these thefts, and is again up another 20% this year when comparing the first four months of the year.
Kansas ranks 30 for the number of catalytic converter thefts per 100k registered automobiles.
Here’s the breakdown for Kansas:
Kansas | Catalytic Theft Numbers |
Percentage change thefts 2019 vs 2022 | 1370.37% |
2019 thefts | 27 |
2020 thefts | 102 |
2021 thefts | 362 |
2022 thefts
|
397
|
% Change Thefts YoY 2019 vs 2020
|
277.78%
|
% Change Thefts YoY 2020 vs 2021
|
254.90%
|
Percentage change thefts 2021 vs 2022
|
9.67%
|
Thefts per 100k Automobiles 2022
|
42
|
Rank Thefts per 100k Automobiles 2022
|
30
|
Rank Total thefts
|
33
|
Note that the number of actual thefts estimated is based on insured thefts and the number is likely much higher but the percentage increase is a clear indicator