Contrary to popular belief, auto theft occurs most often in suburban areas, not cities. In addition, most reporting agencies collect data at the state level, not by city. Because of this, the overwhelming majority of reliable statistics and reports represent auto theft issues by state, not by city. Unfortunately, auto theft has actually increased in suburban areas over the past 10 years and it has decreased in urban areas. The only increases that have occurred in cities or urban areas have occurred in border towns.