The number of watercraft thefts in the U.S. decreased by four percent, dropping from 4,644 in 2021 to 4,461 in 2022, according to a newly released report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).
Its annual watercraft theft report indicated it was the second year in a row watercraft thefts had dropped.
Despite the decrease in watercraft thefts year over year, Florida reported more watercraft thefts and led the nation again with the highest number of thefts.
The Sunshine state saw 891 thefts, accounting for 20 percent of all watercraft thefts in the U.S. in 2022.
California followed closely with 656 watercraft thefts.
States near major bodies of water made up a majority of the top ten areas for watercraft thefts and accounted for 63 percent of all water vehicle thefts in the U.S. in 2022, according to the NICB.
The top 10 states for watercraft theft:
- Florida
- California
- Texas
- Washington
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Georgia
- Michigan
- Ohio
- Tennessee