Jan. 11, 2021—Catalytic converter thefts more than tripled in 2021 compared to 2020, a BeenVerified report has found.
The number may be even larger as BeenVerified’s data is as recent as September. However, that number alone was more than triple all of 2020. The data analysis group estimates there were nearly 50,000 thefts through the end of September, a 244 percent increase and that number is likely closer to 70,000 for the full calendar year. By comparison, only 3,389 thefts were reported in 2019, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).
The top states for theft through September 30, 2021 were California (14,112 thefts), Texas (6,105), Washington (3,379), Minnesota (2,025) and Colorado (1,840).
