Over 21,700 2011-2013 model-year sport utility vehicles (SUVs)and crossovers (CUVs) were stolen in the U.S. between Jan.1, 2010and Dec. 31, 2013.

In an analysis, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) andNational Crime Information Center (NCIC), in a ForeCASTreport, break down the thefts by state; region; class, model andmake; and the number and percentage of unrecoveredvehicles.

The analysis points out that SUVs are typically built on apickup truck platform, while CUVs are built on a carplatform.

In the last report of this kind, the groups note, 19,961 SUV/CUVthefts occurred, showing the growing popularity of these vehiclesamong consumers, and therefore thieves, since the previous report'sJanuary 2008 to June 2012 time period.

Interestingly, SUV thefts are on the decline—down 25% comparedto the previous report—while CUV thefts are on the rise, up by31%.

See the NICB/NCIC breakdown on the following pages.

By Class, Make and Model

By class (right) CUVs appear to be more desirable to thievesthan SUVs. And compact CUVs most of all. Compact CUVs topped thelist of thefts by class, more than doubling second-place largeCUVs.

All told, CUVs accounted for 15,785 thefts, or 73% of the total,compared to 5,926 SUVs. Pick-ups, classified as SUVs,accounted for just 53 thefts.

The high desirability for CUVs versus SUVs is even more strikingwhen looking at makes and models (below). Of the top-10 stolenmakes and models, nine are CUVs. The only SUV to appear on the listis the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which is the fourth most stolenmodel.

Three Ford CUVs top the list: the Escape is first, followed bythe Edge and the Explorer. Compact CUVs account for five of the topten models.

An NICB spokesperson gave a simple answer when asked why CUVsappear so much more in demand among thieves: “There are more CUVthefts than SUV thefts simply because there are more CUV's sold.Thieves tend to want the same things that the general populationwants. Plus, if there are more CUV's on the road, there will bemore demand for CUV parts.”

By States and Core-based Statistical Areas

California tops the list of states (above) for most stolen SUVsand CUVs by a wide margin—3,531 thefts compared to 1,897 thefts insecond-place Florida. The NICB says 16% of all SUV/CUV theftsoccurred in California, and 68% of thefts were in the top-10states.

New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania appear fifth, sixth andninth respectively, but when ranked by CBSA (below, click toenlarge), the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PAregion places first with 2,530 thefts. Three California regionsmake top-10 showings on the CBSA list at third, seventh andninth.

(Click to enlarge.)

Unrecovered Thefts

As of March 31, 13%, or 2,834 stolen SUVs/CUVs were unrecovered.Compact CUVs accounted for the most unrecovered vehicles, which isnot surprising given how many were stolen. But looked at as apercentage, only 8% of stolen compact CUVs gounrecovered—second-fewest among the nine classes of SUVs/CUVs(above).

Premium SUVs, by comparison, saw the greatest percentage ofunrecovered thefts at 33%.

New Jersey and New York were the top two states for unrecoveredthefts, and so it stands to reason that the New York-Newark-JerseyCity, NY-NJ-PA CBSA (below) leads all other regions for unrecoveredthefts.

(Click to enlarge.)

By make and model (below, click to enlarge), the Mercedes-BenzGL class accounted for the greatest percentage of unrecoveredthefts at 37%, while the Jeep Wrangler accounted for the greatesttotal number of unrecovered thefts.

The Ford Escape, the most desired make and model among thieves,is recovered in all but 5% of thefts.

(Click to enlarge.)

On the next page: Chart breakdowns of the totalthefts by all states.