The Modesto, California, area had the worst auto theft rate in the U.S. last year, overtaking the San Francisco Bay region.

Modesto had 756 thefts per 100,000 people, up from about 573 a year earlier, when it ranked fifth-worst in the country, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) said Monday in a report. Albuquerque, New Mexico, had the second-highest rate. San Francisco improved to No. 5 from No. 1 in 2014.

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California attractive target for car thieves


California, which is the most populous state in the U.S. and is known for its vast network of roads, is an attractive target for car thieves. With borders along the Pacific Ocean and Mexico, the state is vulnerable to criminals who break into newer, high-end vehicles and then ship them abroad. Older vehicles are stolen primarily for parts, the NICB said in the statement.

In a state with so many residents, “along with the very decent people, you get other people who make a living or do things on the dark side,” Frank Scafidi, a spokesman for the NICB, said in a phone interview. “So we have a lot of auto thieves, always have, in California.”

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