Credit: ek/Adobe Stock
While total cargo thefts stayed roughly the same in 2025, estimated losses were up 60% as criminal groups focused more on high value shipments, according to a new Verisk CargoNet analysis.
In 2025, estimated losses from cargo theft surged to $725 million, and the average value per theft rose to $273,990, up 36% from 2024.
CargoNet recorded 3,594 supply chain theft incidents in 2025, similar to the 3,607 events reported in 2024. But cargo theft specifically was up 18% compared to 2024, with 2,646 events in 2025 versus 2,243 in 2024.
The most targeted states were California, Texas and Illinois, representing 51.9% of all cargo theft in 2025. But other states saw major increases, including New Jersey (up 50%), Indiana (30%) and Pennsylvania (24%).
Food and beverage were the most commonly stolen commodity types, with thefts up 47% in 2025. Household goods were also commonly targeted, and metals theft was up 77%, largely due to high demand for copper products. Vehicles, especially engines, were also a common target.
Theft of consumer electronics was down in 2025. Criminals instead focused more on enterprise computer components and cryptocurrency mining hardware.
"Criminal enterprises are becoming more selective and sophisticated, targeting extremely high value shipments rather than relying on opportunistic theft," said Keith Lewis, vice president of operations at Verisk CargoNet, in a statement. "This strategic shift explains how losses can rise 60 percent even as overall incident volume holds steady."
According to the CargoNet report, criminals will likely continue to target high-value technology products in 2026, including RAM modules and storage drives.
Photo credit: ek/Adobe Stock
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