Package Theft Hits New York Hard
Have you ever had a package go missing? If so, you’re not alone.
Recent findings reveal that thieves, often referred to as “porch pirates,” stole over $1.2 billion worth of deliveries from homes in New York. In fact, in 2025, New York was reported as the second worst state for package theft across the country.
The report estimates that around 104.3 million unattended packages were taken from various locations, including homes and mailrooms, with New York accounting for 7,828,212 of those thefts. Collectively, these incidents led to approximately $1.29 billion in damages, according to the latest SafeWise U.S. Package Theft Report.
Interestingly enough, New York also topped the charts for household theft rates, with a staggering 965 thefts for every 1,000 households.
But it wasn’t the only state experiencing this issue. California led the nation in package theft, reporting $1.54 billion in losses from 11,824,411 thefts in 2025.
California also ranked third for household thefts with 837 incidents per 1,000 households, just behind Pennsylvania’s 944 incidents.
Following California and New York, Texas had the third highest losses, with $1.19 billion in damages from 6,011,349 thefts. Florida came next, with around $984 million lost from 6,417,831 incidents, while Pennsylvania rounded out the top five with $661.9 million lost in 5,231,008 thefts.
Other states like Michigan, Ohio, Georgia, Illinois, and North Carolina made the top 10 list, accounting for a combined total of over $2.18 billion in losses and 15,448,384 reported thefts.
Overall, SafeWise estimates that the total cost of package thefts could reach as high as $14.9 billion, resulting from approximately 90.8 million incidents.
Top 10 States for Package Theft
- California: $1,549,821,331 — 11,824,411 incidents
- New York: $1,290,071,402 — 7,828,212 incidents
- Texas: $1,187,166,154 — 6,011,349 incidents
- Florida: $984,168,232 — 6,417,831 incidents
- Pennsylvania: $661,896,167 — 5,231,008 cases
- Michigan: $480,048,238 — 3,263,077 incidents
- Ohio: $470,278,751 — 3,145,906 incidents
- Georgia: $467,806,503 — 2,870,888 incidents
- Illinois: $401,581,152 — 3,590,650 incidents
- North Carolina: $368,631,412 — 2,577,863 incidents
Shane Margerson, who owns an online retail business, pointed out that digital sellers are experiencing significant impacts due to this wave of thefts, leading to more replacement requests and customer service issues.
“Deliveries are safest when they aren’t left unattended,” he mentioned. Margerson encouraged customers to consider using tracking alerts, pick-up points, or delivery signatures when placing orders.
“For online retailers, providing clear shipping options is crucial. If you have a valuable or time-sensitive package, think twice about its final destination before you hit that buy button,” he added.
“After all, it’s less stressful to send it to a secure pick-up location rather than hoping it’ll still be on your porch when you get home.”
