California's 10 Most Stolen-From Cities: The Car Theft Rate Rankings That'll Make You Double-Check Your Locks
California leads the nation in auto theft, and it's not particularly close. Per the latest CA DOJ OpenJustice data and FBI crime reporting, certain cities are getting absolutely cleaned out, with rates that dwarf the state average by a factor of two, three, even four times over. Here are the 10 California cities where your car is most likely to become someone else's problem.
Related: California's 10 Most Dangerous Cities for Car Theft, Ranked · California's 10 Most Dangerous Cities for Car Theft, Ranked
#1 - Emeryville
Tiny Emeryville punches way above its weight in the worst possible way. With a population barely cracking 12,000 but a commercial corridor that draws in tens of thousands of daily visitors, the city's auto theft rate has consistently ranked among the highest per capita in the entire state, with CA DOJ figures putting it at roughly 2,000 to 2,500 stolen vehicles per 100,000 residents in recent reporting periods. It sits at the intersection of three freeways, which thieves apparently find just as convenient as commuters do.
#2 - Stockton
Stockton has been a perennial fixture near the top of California auto theft rankings for years, and recent FBI and CA DOJ data show it hasn't cleaned up its act much. The city's rate runs well above 1,000 thefts per 100,000 residents, with catalytic converter strips and full vehicle grabs both driving the numbers. The Central Valley location, proximity to Highway 99, and historically strained police resources are the usual suspects for why this keeps happening.
#3 - Oakland
Nobody who's ever parked in Oakland is shocked by this entry. The city's auto theft rate is consistently among the top in Alameda County and the broader Bay Area, with CA DOJ data showing figures well north of 1,000 per 100,000 annually. Kia and Hyundai models surged in the theft numbers after a viral hotwiring trend hit, and the city has been playing catch-up ever since. OPD's staffing struggles haven't helped close the gap.
#4 - Bakersfield
Bakersfield doesn't get the same press as Bay Area cities, but CA DOJ OpenJustice data consistently shows it running hot on vehicle theft, with rates hovering around 900 to 1,100 per 100,000 residents depending on the year. The Kern County city is a major trucking and agricultural hub with a lot of commercial vehicles in the mix, and local law enforcement has flagged organized theft rings operating along the I-5 corridor as a driving factor.
#5 - Modesto
Modesto has a long, unfortunate history with car theft, dating back decades to when it was infamous as a national hot spot. The city hasn't fully shaken that reputation. Recent CA DOJ figures put Modesto's rate somewhere in the 900 to 1,100 range per 100,000 residents, keeping it comfortably in the top tier statewide. The city sits in Stanislaus County, deep in the Central Valley, where auto theft tends to run structurally higher than coastal metros.
#6 - Fresno
Fresno is the biggest city in the Central Valley and one of the most stolen-from in the state, with CA DOJ data regularly placing its auto theft rate above 800 per 100,000 residents. It's a city of roughly half a million people, so the raw number of stolen vehicles each year runs into the thousands. Economic stress and an ongoing catalytic converter theft epidemic have kept the rate stubbornly elevated despite local enforcement efforts.
#7 - Richmond
Richmond in Contra Costa County has long dealt with elevated crime across the board, and auto theft is no exception. Per CA DOJ OpenJustice, the city's vehicle theft rate regularly clears 800 per 100,000, putting it well ahead of neighboring Bay Area cities and close to the top of state rankings. The city has made real strides on violent crime over the past decade, but car theft has proven harder to crack.
See also: California's 10 Most Dangerous Cities for Car Theft, Ranked · California's 10 Most Car-Theft-Ravaged Cities, Ranked
#8 - Sacramento
California's capital city has an auto theft problem that state legislators are well aware of, given they literally work there. CA DOJ data puts Sacramento's rate somewhere around 700 to 900 thefts per 100,000 residents, making it one of the worst large cities in the state by that measure. The region has repeatedly ranked high in national auto theft studies, including reports from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which tracks these trends closely.
#9 - Antioch
Antioch, out in eastern Contra Costa County, has seen its auto theft numbers climb alongside broader public safety concerns that have dominated local politics in recent years. CA DOJ figures put the city's rate in the range of 700 to 900 per 100,000, elevated well above the California statewide average. The city made national headlines for unrelated police misconduct issues, and the overall law enforcement picture there remains complicated.
#10 - Vallejo
Vallejo rounds out the list and will surprise approximately nobody who follows Bay Area crime trends. The Solano County city has one of the thinnest police forces relative to its population in the region, and auto theft has filled that vacuum accordingly. CA DOJ data puts its rate consistently above 700 per 100,000 residents, and the city's location between the Bay and Sacramento makes it a convenient operational base for regional theft networks.
The through line here isn't hard to find: Central Valley cities and East Bay communities dominate this list, reflecting a mix of economic stress, freeway access, and in many cases, police departments that are stretched thin. If you're parking overnight in any of these cities, a steering wheel club is a $30 investment that suddenly looks very smart.