Louisville Data
Louisville Car Theft and Break-In Data
- Cars stolen in 2026
- 2,354
- Car thefts vs 2025
- Down 36%
- Thefts from cars vs 2025
- Up 18%
Louisville Metro Police took 2,354 car theft reports from January 1 to October 4, 2026. That is down 36% from the same dates in 2025 and down 55% from 2023. Thefts from cars tell a different story. LMPD logged 3,570 of those, up 18% from 2025. Here is where it happens, when it happens and what to do if it happens to you.
The Short Version
- Car thefts are falling. 2,354 so far in 2026, against 3,661 by the same date in 2025 and 5,232 in 2023. That is still about 8 cars a day.
- Thefts from cars are rising. Completed ones went from 2,266 to 2,398. Attempts went from 749 to 1,172.
- 54% of stolen cars were taken between 9 pm and 5 am.
- 40% were taken at a home or apartment, not on a street.
- ZIP 40214 has the most stolen cars this year (205). ZIP 40202 has the most thefts from cars (365).
Car Thefts Are Falling Fast
Each bar below counts car theft reports from January 1 to October 4 of that year, so every year is measured over the same dates. The count fell every year since 2023.
For full years, LMPD logged 6,931 in 2023, 5,749 in 2024, 4,522 in 2025. The monthly chart shows the slide. 2026 is in the darker color.
499 of this year's 2,354 car theft reports were attempts, where the thief did not get away with the car. Counting only completed thefts, 1,855 cars were taken.
Break-Ins Are a Different Story
Thefts from cars are things taken out of a car, like a bag, a laptop or a gun. LMPD logged 3,570 of these by October 4, up 18% from 3,015 in 2025. Most of that change is attempts. Attempted thefts from cars went from 749 to 1,172, while completed ones went from 2,266 to 2,398.
The month to month picture matters more than the year total. Thefts from cars peaked in June at 657 reports. In August and September LMPD logged 457, down 46% from 850 in the same two months of 2025.
Parts thefts, like catalytic converters, wheels and plates, are down 34% at 643 reports.
The fix for most break-ins is boring and it works. Lock the doors and leave nothing in sight. Our guide on how to stop car break-ins in Louisville goes step by step.
Where in Louisville It Happens
LMPD splits the city into eight patrol divisions. The 4th Division had the most stolen cars this year at 462. Each row shows 2026 so far and the change from the same dates in 2025.
| Division | Top ZIPs | Cars stolen | Thefts from cars |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Division | 40202, 40203, 40212 | 254 down 30% | 560 up 4% |
| 2nd Division | 40211, 40210, 40216 | 336 down 32% | 205 up 8% |
| 3rd Division | 40214, 40258, 40272 | 440 down 22% | 354 up 35% |
| 4th Division | 40215, 40208, 40203 | 462 down 37% | 549 down 2% |
| 5th Division | 40204, 40205, 40206 | 115 down 44% | 396 up 25% |
| 6th Division | 40218, 40220, 40213 | 267 down 46% | 466 up 63% |
| 7th Division | 40219, 40291, 40229 | 332 down 39% | 520 up 23% |
| 8th Division | 40241, 40245, 40299 | 135 down 42% | 514 up 23% |
Look Up Your ZIP Code
Type your ZIP to find it. The list covers every ZIP with 10 or more reports this year, most first. The change from last year shows when last year had at least 20.
That ZIP has fewer than 10 LMPD vehicle crime reports this year, or it is outside LMPD's area.
| ZIP | Cars stolen | Thefts from cars | Parts stolen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40202 | 106 down 18% | 365 up 4% | 17 |
| 40214 | 205 down 37% | 225 up 18% | 67 |
| 40219 | 168 down 42% | 155 up 9% | 51 |
| 40203 | 145 down 34% | 152 down 7% | 38 |
| 40218 | 106 down 42% | 181 up 68% | 38 |
| 40211 | 163 down 33% | 111 up 7% | 42 |
| 40204 | 57 down 37% | 201 up 44% | 15 |
| 40215 | 140 down 33% | 92 up 21% | 28 |
| 40291 | 65 down 45% | 165 up 31% | 18 |
| 40241 | 56 down 21% | 163 up 73% | 19 |
| 40216 | 113 down 39% | 88 up 14% | 26 |
| 40208 | 110 down 29% | 90 down 30% | 22 |
| 40258 | 109 up 9% | 78 up 34% | 21 |
| 40206 | 36 down 62% | 149 down 4% | 16 |
| 40229 | 87 down 23% | 97 up 24% | 21 |
| 40299 | 37 down 38% | 146 up 74% | 13 |
| 40272 | 97 down 23% | 70 up 19% | 23 |
| 40220 | 49 down 46% | 113 up 122% | 23 |
| 40213 | 57 down 49% | 103 up 63% | 44 |
| 40210 | 93 down 23% | 62 up 55% | 11 |
| 40212 | 103 down 38% | 51 down 14% | 20 |
| 40205 | 40 down 20% | 106 up 39% | 9 |
| 40209 | 23 down 4% | 111 up 16% | 10 |
| 40245 | 25 down 59% | 101 down 17% | 10 |
| 40228 | 42 down 50% | 76 up 13% | 12 |
| 40118 | 39 down 28% | 42 up 110% | 4 |
| 40217 | 26 down 62% | 54 up 17% | 12 |
| 40222 | 17 down 43% | 63 up 19% | 2 |
| 40223 | 9 down 69% | 47 up 42% | 5 |
| 40207 | 8 | 43 down 14% | 3 |
| 40059 | 9 | 23 down 63% | 0 |
| 40243 | 5 | 23 | 1 |
| 40242 | 2 | 17 | 2 |
These are counts, not rates. A ZIP with more people, jobs and parking will have more reports. Downtown ZIP 40202 ranks high on thefts from cars because so many cars park there every day.
Where Cars Get Stolen From
Home is not the safe spot people think. 40% of stolen cars were taken at a home or apartment. For break-ins, parking lots and garages lead with 41%.
When Cars Get Stolen
The busiest five hours run from midnight to 5 am. 54% of this year's thefts with a time on the report fell between 9 pm and 5 am. Saturday was the busiest day of the week.
What Stolen Cars Are Worth
Kentucky grades theft by value, and LMPD records the value band. Of this year's car theft reports, 48% were for cars worth $10,000 or more and 45% were for cars worth $1,000 to $10,000. Older cars are taken too, not only new ones.
If Your Car Is Stolen in Louisville
- Make sure it was not towed. LMPD has a towed vehicle lookup. Check it before anything else.
- Call 911 if you see it happening. Do not chase the car.
- File a report. LMPD's Service Center takes stolen car reports by phone, 24 hours a day. The number is on the LMPD File a Police Report page. Thefts from a car can be filed online on the same page.
- Call your insurer with the report number.
- When the car comes back, deal with the keys. If a key or fob was in the car or went missing, the thief may still have it. A locksmith or dealer can erase lost keys from the car's computer so they stop working, then program new ones. See car key replacement for how that works.
The best prevention costs nothing. Never leave a key or spare fob in the car, lock it every time and park in light. If you have only one key, a spare key kept at home beats a key hidden in a wheel well.
Use This Data
Reporters, neighborhood groups and landlords are welcome to use these numbers. Please link to this page. The ZIP table is a free download: louisville-vehicle-crime-by-zip.csv. We refresh the page as LMPD updates its data.
How We Built This
- Source: Louisville Metro KY Crime Data, published by LMPD on Louisville Metro Open Data, one table per year from 2023 to 2026. The data is in the public domain under the Open Data Commons PDDL. Pulled October 13, 2026. Newest report in the data: October 9, 2026.
- We kept four offense classes: auto theft, theft from a vehicle, theft of vehicle parts and unauthorized use. Each incident counts once per class. We dropped incident numbers, officer badges and block addresses.
- Years are grouped by the date a crime was reported, the way LMPD files them. "Same dates" means January 1 through October 4 in every year. LMPD keeps adding reports for several days after they come in, so we stop at the last day with a normal number of reports. That is why the data ends a few days before the newest report.
- Attempts are counted. LMPD marks each report as completed or attempted, and we show both where it matters.
- LMPD says this data is preliminary and can change after an investigation, covers only LMPD's area and should not be compared with official FBI crime totals. Small cities in Jefferson County with their own police are mostly not in it.