The Camry is relatively safe from theft, and is also fairly cheap to insure. Draw your own conclusions....

It’s no secret that auto theft statistics for some areas are far worse than others. You’re probably pretty safe leaving your car doors unlocked for a couple of hours in Wausau, WI, while doing the same for only a few minutes in Yakima, WA just about guarantees you’ll be walkin’ home!

The level of car theft in a community is one of the main statistics used by the insurance companies to calculate how much you’ll have to fork over every month. Lower auto theft rates naturally translate into lower insurance rates. Sometimes moving only a few miles one way o the other can affect a significant drop in your insurance rates, so if you have the option of moving, talk to your agent about possible locations.

Here are some of the areas in the U.S. with the highest rates of grand theft auto, the real thing, not that time sucker you or your kids spend your Friday nights playing.

According to the FBI’s unified crime report, 1,095,769 vehicles went home with other than their rightful owners in 2007, the last year with complete statistics. Some were stolen by kids having fun, others by people making money. The cars stolen by the kids are often recovered, the others much less so.

Highest Rates of Auto Theft per 100,000 residents:

1 Modesto, CA
2 Laredo, TX
3 Yakima, WA
4 San Diego/Carlsbad/San Marcos, CA
5 Bakersfield, CA
6 Stockton, CA
7 Las Vegas/Paradise, NV
8 Albuquerque, NM
9 San Francisco/Oakland/Fremont, CA
10 Fresno, CA

Notice something? They’re all west of the Rocky Mountains. Why do you suppose that is? In point of fact, over 35% of all car thecfts occur in the 7 western states of WA, CA, NV, NM, UT, AZ, and TX.

Here are the worst states for car theft:
1 California
2 Texas
3 Florida
4 Arizona
5 Michigan
6 Washington
7 Georgia
8 Illinois
9 Ohio
10 New York

If you want your car to be a bit safer when you leave it, try moving to one of these areas. They were reported as the metro areas with the lowest levels of car theft by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

10 Fond du Lac, WI
9 Holland-Grand Haven, MI
8 Madison, WI
7 Johnstown, PA
6 Cumberland, MD
5 Ithaca, NY
4 Logan, UT
3 Glens Falls, NY
2 State College, PA
1 Elmira, NY

So there you have it! Auto theft statistics definitely have an impact on your rates. Getting cheaper insurance can involve a bit of relocation, but it could be worth it. You might just find lower insurance rates and get to keep your car in the bargain.