Watching Texas Burglary Trends

Triple-digit temperatures. Hot, short tempers. Homes left empty for vacations. That’s a recipe for getting hit with break-ins this summer. During summer months, Texas experiences a spike in crime, from burglary and motor vehicle theft to stealing bicycles, purse-snatching, and aggravated assault.

These crime spikes aren’t unique to Texas — crime spikes have occurred across the country since at least 1993, according to data analysis by researchers at the U.S. Department of Justice and the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Why? 

Take a look at the burglary trends below to find out when and where you’ll be most vulnerable. 

Analyzing Thefts

Researchers and crime experts say there’s no single reason but several possible contributing factors: hotter temperatures may make people more irritable and prone to violence; and people may spend more time together during warm weather, increasing the likelihood of conflict.

Teresa Schneider, a Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Agent in Taylor, says, “Per a presentation given to our local chamber by our police department, burglaries and vandalism increase immediately after school releases for the summer and seem bad for about the first month of the summer break, level off, and then decrease once school starts again.”

There’s another reason that burglaries in particular spike in July — opportunity. Research suggests roughly half of Americans plan some sort of travel during July, the busiest travel month of the year. Time off for homeowners is the busy season for burglars, who have their pick of unattended homes to case, break into, and steal from while the owners are away.

Bottom line: This is not the time to make it easier for criminals by leaving your home unprotected. 

4 Trends to Watch

1. The Texas Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) 2015 crime statistics found burglaries on the decline:

• Annual burglaries declined from 240,000 in 2009 down to 152,444 in 2015.
• The statewide burglary rate per every 100,000 people declined 10 percent from 2014 to 2015.

2. The Texas DPS’s 2015 crime statistics show peak months for burglaries occur during travel time:

• Burglaries statewide in 2015 peaked in July, with more than 13,750 burglaries in that month alone.
• August and December roughly tied for the second-highest number of burglaries.

3. Perhaps surprisingly, the Texas DPS’s 2015 burglary statistics suggest that daytime burglaries may be more common (and more costly) than nighttime: 

• Daytime burglaries were twice as common as nighttime break-ins.
• Daytime burglars stole more valuables. 
• The state’s burglary losses totaled more than $270 million.
• The average loss to each home burglary victim was a whopping $2,750.

4. Think you’re safer from burglary in a small city? Not necessarily.

• According to FBI data, smaller cities “outside metropolitan areas” had the highest per-capita burglary rates in Texas in 2015.
• Texas’s 25 Metropolitan Statistical Areas ranked second in per-capita burglary rates.
• Rural areas had the lowest rates of burglary.

What to Do After a Theft

• Contact the police to file a report.
• Contact Texas Farm Bureau Insurance at 800.266.5458 to file a claim.
• Change or re-key your locks as soon as possible after a home break-in, even if the intruder didn’t come in through a door.
• Protect your home in the future with the right security. 

Looking for ways to protect your home? Texas Farm Bureau members are eligible for free equipment and exclusive discounts on home monitoring from ADT. Learn more here about your home security. 

Coverage and discounts are subject to qualifications and policy terms and may vary by situation.