PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – In Portland, an average of 30 cars are stolen per day and data from the Portland Police Bureau shows that some neighborhoods experience theft much more than others. 

In the first two months of 2023 1,789 cars have been stolen in the city. In 2022, 10,891 cars were stolen. Both numbers average to 30 cars being stolen per day in the city. 

Of the 15 neighborhoods where the most cars have been stolen so far in 2023, most of those car thefts occurred in neighborhoods that are located east of the Willamette River and west of Interstate 205. 

However, the neighborhood with the most thefts in January and February 2023 is actually on Portland’s west side. In the Northwest District, 74 vehicles have been stolen, according to the latest data available from PPB. 

That’s followed by three neighborhoods on the far east side of Portland: Hazelwood with 71 vehicle thefts, Powellhurst-Gilbert with 61 and Lents with 59. 

Since the vast majority of vehicles have occurred on Portland’s east side, the neighborhoods east of the Willamette River, PPB’s East Precinct officers have been performing special stolen vehicle operations missions. They spend hours focusing on a certain area and on pulling over drivers they suspect are operating stolen cars. 

On March 19, they spent 10 hours in the Roseway and Madison South neighborhoods where there have been a combined total of 32 car thefts so far this year. 

According to PPB, 88% of the cars stolen in 2023 have been recovered and 84% were recovered within 30 days. 

PPB is working with researchers at OHSU to more effectively patrol for stolen vehicles. By analyzing data collected from traffic stops, researchers have helped police go from finding a stolen vehicle in 1 of every 31 traffic stops they perform during stolen vehicle operations missions to finding a stolen vehicle in an average of 1 in every 6 stops. 

Here are the Portland Neighborhoods with the most stolen vehicles in January and February 2023: 

  • Northwest – 74 
  • Hazelwood – 71 
  • Powellhurst-Gilbert – 61 
  • Lents – 59 
  • Downtown – 57 
  • Centennial – 54 
  • Overlook – 52 
  • Arbor Lodge – 48 
  • Kenton – 42 
  • St. Johns – 42 
  • Concordia – 40 
  • Kerns – 39 
  • Montavilla – 36 
  • Lloyd – 34 
  • Piedmont – 33 

Police say the top five vehicle makes stolen in 2023 have been Kia, Hyundai, Ford, Subaru and Honda.