Reviews.com Porch Pirate survey shows concern over theft and burglary does not correlate with increased home security measures.
Fort Mill, South Carolina – 2025 – Porch piracy remains widespread alongside record delivery volumes. Recent national surveys find that roughly 25–35% of Americans report a package stolen in the past year and about 40–50% say it has happened at least once; typical per‑incident losses cluster around $50–$100 with a median near $50 (Security.org; SafeWise). U.S. parcel shipments exceeded 20 billion in 2023, magnifying exposure (Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index). Applying survey estimates to that volume implies on the order of 100–260 million packages stolen annually—roughly 0.5%–1.3% of yearly parcels. Reports of mail theft to federal authorities have also increased in recent years, consistent with elevated risk (USPS OIG).
• National safety context: Property crime increased 6.7% in 2023 vs. 2022 while violent crime declined 1.7%, according to the FBI (FBI). The latest NCVS release indicates younger adults and women report lower feelings of safety walking near home at night than older adults and men, patterns persistent in recent data (BJS NCVS 2023).
• Package theft experience and losses: 25–35% of U.S. adults report package theft in the past 12 months, and roughly 40–50% report having at least one package stolen in their lifetime. Median out‑of‑pocket loss is around $50, and most incidents fall in a $50–$100 band; risk is higher in dense urban areas and spikes during heavy‑shipping periods such as the holidays (Security.org; SafeWise).
Despite sustained concern about theft, adoption of home security has grown since our 2019 baseline. In our original 2019 release, 22% of U.S. adults reported owning a system. Today, industry trackers indicate that roughly one‑third to about 40% of U.S. internet/broadband households report having a home security system, with additional growth in camera‑ and doorbell‑led “security lite” setups. Note that these sources measure different populations (broadband households vs. all U.S. adults), so direct comparisons should account for that difference (Parks Associates; Deloitte 2024).
• Relative to the 22% ownership we reported in 2019 (all U.S. adults), recent Parks Associates research shows about one‑third to roughly 40% of U.S. internet/broadband households now have a home security system, underscoring growth since 2019. Because the Parks metric is among “broadband households,” it is not directly comparable to “all adults,” but both point to higher penetration than a decade ago (Parks Associates).
• Cost remains a leading barrier. While DIY options lowered upfront costs, recurring fees are salient: typical DIY professional monitoring runs about $19.99–$29.99/month for major brands (e.g., SimpliSafe $19.99–$29.99/mo; Ring Protect Pro around $20–$25/mo), and ADT’s DIY Self Setup monitoring is listed at about $24.99/month (ADT Self Setup). Price changes in 2024 increased some plan costs (Ring price changes), and pricing/value are top drivers of satisfaction and churn (J.D. Power 2024).
• Video awareness leads adoption. Deloitte reports roughly one‑third of U.S. households own home security cameras and about one‑quarter to one‑third own video doorbells, reflecting camera‑first security behavior—often motivated by deliveries and porch piracy (Deloitte 2024; SafeWise). Newer systems emphasize privacy and reliability through on‑device AI for object detection, end‑to‑end encryption options, and privacy zones (Consumer Reports 2024). The U.S. Cyber Trust Mark launched to signal baseline IoT security (FCC); Wi‑Fi 7 improves multi‑stream video performance (Wi‑Fi Alliance); IEEE 802.11bf enables Wi‑Fi presence sensing to reduce false alerts (IEEE 802.11bf-2024); and as of Matter 1.3, the smart‑home standard still lacks native camera support (Matter status).
Other factors play into choices about home security options include:
• Age and perceived safety: NCVS data show younger adults and women consistently report lower feelings of safety walking near home at night than older adults and men. In digital safety, the FTC reports people ages 20–29 are more likely than those 70–79 to report losing money when they report fraud, while consumers 80+ post the highest median losses (often in the low‑thousands of dollars per incident). The FBI also notes property crime rose 6.7% in 2023, sustaining interest in deterrence and evidence (cameras) (BJS NCVS 2023; FTC Consumer Sentinel 2024; FBI IC3 2024; FBI).
• Race/ethnicity and concern: AP‑NORC polling in 2024 finds Black Americans more likely than White Americans to say crime and gun violence are very or extremely serious problems in their communities, and NCVS perception measures show Black and Hispanic adults report lower feelings of safety at night than White adults (AP‑NORC 2024; BJS NCVS 2023).
• Income and affordability: Adoption rises with income. Eurostat’s 2023 household IoT data show the highest‑income quartile is several times more likely than the lowest quartile to use internet‑connected security/safety devices. In the U.S., Pew reports ownership of security‑adjacent devices (video doorbells, cameras) is substantially higher among upper‑income adults than lower‑income adults. Combined with 2024–2025 subscription price increases at major brands, cost remains a durable barrier for lower‑income households (Eurostat; Pew Research Center; J.D. Power 2024; Ring price changes).
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For more information, contact:
Megan Wilburn | Communications Associate, Reviews.com | [email protected]
Study Methodology
This update synthesizes multiple reputable sources that track package theft, home security adoption, and safety perceptions. Because there is no single national crime category for “package theft,” current estimates rely on large consumer surveys and parcel‑volume benchmarks (Security.org; SafeWise; Pitney Bowes). Ownership levels come from industry research among U.S. internet/broadband households (Parks Associates) and nationally representative device‑ownership surveys (Deloitte 2024). Crime and safety context is drawn from official sources (FBI; BJS NCVS 2023), with fraud/cyber loss patterns from the FTC and IC3 2024. Technology trends and best practices reflect guidance from the FCC, IEEE, Wi‑Fi Alliance, Matter coverage, and Consumer Reports. Definitions differ: our 2019 figure (22%) was “all U.S. adults,” while recent system‑penetration benchmarks from Parks are “U.S. internet/broadband households,” so comparisons are directional.
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