WASHINGTON, USA — The rate of car thefts in Washington state has dropped significantly in 2024, according to new data released by the Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force (PSATTF).
There have been 24,290 vehicles stolen in the state so far this year, which PSATTF says is a 30% reduction from a year ago. Per a chart included in the release showing the trend of statewide car thefts through October in years past, both 2022 and 2023 saw well over 30,000 car thefts in that period.
More locally, PSATTF says 1,088 cars were reported stolen in October 2024 in King County and 325 were reported stolen in Pierce County. Though the organization never released October 2023 numbers, September 2023 saw 1,431 cars reported stolen in King County and 705 vehicles reported stolen in Pierce County.
Overall in 2023, there were 54,187 cars reported stolen statewide, according to the Washington Association of Police Chiefs and Sheriffs (WASPC) Crime in Washington report.
After hitting record highs in each of the last two years, data shows that the numbers are on the decline for car thefts in Washington.
