CHICAGO — You won’t find this factoid in any marketing brochures, but Chicago led the nation in at least one category in 2022: fastest growing city for auto theft in the U.S.
Auto thefts rose 55% in Chicago last year, topping every other city as part of an ongoing pandemic-fueled nationwide increase in reported stolen vehicles, according to data released Wednesday by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
Nationwide, thefts were up 7%, surpassing 1 million stolen vehicles for the first time since 2008.
