A stolen bike is more than just a stolen asset — it’s the loss of the ability to cycle, to commute, and to train. The impacts can last for years due to the cost of replacing a stolen bike.

To understand which states suffer the most bike thefts in the U.S., we analyzed the latest Crime Incident data released by the FBI. We calculated the average and median dollar values of bikes taken, as well as the total number of bicycles reported stolen in each state.

Key findings

• Nearly 150,000 bikes were reported lost or stolen to police across the US in the latest annual figures.

• The value of lost or stolen bikes totaled over $148 million, with an average value of $833 per bike reported to the police.

• More than 21,000 bikes were stolen or lost in California, accounting for over 14% of the national total.

• Bikes lost or stolen in Colorado were found to be most valuable with an average value of $1,936.92 and a joint median value of $800.

Which state has the highest rate of bike thefts?

To start our analysis, we looked at the number of bikes reported lost or stolen in every state, with California revealed to have the highest number of reported bike crimes, with Texas coming in second.

Throughout 2023 (the latest data year), 21,339 bikes were reported stolen in California and inputted into the FBI crime database. California’s bike reports were more than 9,000 higher than the average number reported per state.

In Texas, 12,261 bikes were entered into the FBI records as lost or stolen during 2023, Colorado (7,433), Florida (6,790), and New York (6,166) round up the top five states with the highest recorded bike thefts or losses.

Figure 1: Number of bike thefts by state

Table 1: Number of bike thefts by state

Unlike a car with a VIN and registration plate, bicycles are far easier to resell. Buyers seldom check or search a bicycle's serial number when buying secondhand.

However, the street value of bikes stolen across the U.S. in the latest figures exceeds $148 million. Other studies estimate that the number of thefts not reported, in addition to those reported to the police, amounts to around $1.4 billion.

Based solely on the latest FBI data, the average bike reported lost or stolen to police was valued at an average of $833.76, with a median value of $389.23.

The value of bikes lost or stolen across the U.S.

The average value of bicycles lost or stolen across the U.S. differs by state. Based on the latest FBI data, we are able to reveal exactly how much of the total stolen value comes from each state. 

California's contributed over 21% of the total stolen value, with the highest number of bikes reported lost or stolen and the fifth-highest average value. Meanwhile, Colorado was found to have contributed the second highest stolen value, with the total bicycles stolen valued at over $14 million.

The five states that contributed the most to the national figure were Texas ($10,990,057), Washington ($8,729,524), and Oregon ($7,857,959).

Table 2: Top states for bike theft by total and average value

Colorado cyclists lose the most expensive bikes on average. The average value of bikes lost or stolen in Colorado was $1,936.92, with a median value of $800. Nevada was found to have the second-highest average value of bikes lost or stolen ($1,728.58), followed by Utah ($1,640.94).

Table 3: Top 10 states for bike theft by total and average value

During the process of our analysis, we noticed that in many states, high-value bike thefts or losses were inputted into the FBI data. To understand the more realistic and grounded value of the crimes reported we also looked at the median values.

Median figures showed that Colorado still had the highest value for bikes lost or stolen ($800) but was tied with Washington D.C. Nevada, similarly, came just behind Colorado, with a median value of $750 per bike reported lost or stolen to police.

California ($700) and Oregon ($670) round off the top five, while Washington, Vermont, Hawaii, and New York were all found to have the same median values for the bikes lost or stolen and reported to the police ($600).

Table 4: Top 10 states for bike theft by median and median total value

Table 5: Full breakdown of bike theft data

Tips for preventing bike theft

Joep Haan from JOIN shares his top tips on how to keep your bike safe from would-be thieves.

• Keeping your bikes safe starts at home. Never leave your bike visible when you’re not home, and always lock wherever you store your bike.

• Strava is a common way for thieves to identify which houses have expensive bikes to steal. Prevent this by hiding the start and end of point your rides on Strava.

• If you’re leaving your bike on the street, always secure it with a D-lock through the frame, a wheel, and a piece of street furniture. If you’ve just stopped for coffee, keep your bike within arm’s reach.

• Consider buying a bluetooth tracker so you can find your bike after it’s stolen. The 4iii power meters with “find my” features are one of the most discrete trackers available. 

• It pays to keep a record of your bike’s serial number, make, and model, along with a receipt. This will help the police identify it. And if your bike was stolen from your house, you’ll have proof for your home insurance claim.

Methodology

We analyzed the latest state and nationally available Crime Data Explorer (CDE) from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). Our review of the Crime Incident-Based Data by State looked at bicycle crimes and losses reported to the police during 2023, the latest data year available. 

The analysis examined the count of reports being made, the total value of the property lost or stolen, the average value, and the median individual and total values. In some instances, state data appeared to have error codes instead of figures; we omitted the results in these cases.

The latest state and national figures from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) were released on September 23rd, 2024.

* Note that for New York state some bike values entered were higher than the cost of the most expensive bikes available, suggesting the values were entered as place holders. To prevent these anomalies from skewing results, we omitted New York state from our calculations of total and average values. However, we included New York state in our calculation of median and median average values.