Original analysis of FBI, Census and NOAA data
Omaha lock and key data: car theft, burglary and who just moved
The Omaha Police Department's area recorded 2,264 vehicle thefts in 2025, a rate of 464 per 100,000 residents. The national rate was 200. Burglary tells the opposite story: it has fallen 68% since 2010 and now sits close to the national rate.
Vehicle thefts per 100,000 residents, Omaha Police Department area vs. United States
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Burglaries per 100,000 residents, Omaha vs. United States
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What we found
- Car theft is Omaha's outlier. In every complete year since 2010, the Omaha Police Department's vehicle theft rate was at least twice the national rate. In 2025 it was 2.3 times. That is about 6.2 vehicles a day.
- The Kia and Hyundai wave shows in the monthly count. Monthly thefts peaked at 705 in October 2023, against a typical 266 a month in 2022 and 2024. What happened, and what fixed it.
- Burglary is down sharply. 3,046 burglaries in 2010, 970 in 2025. The rate, 199 per 100,000, is now close to the national 195.
- Council Bluffs recorded 214 vehicle thefts in 2025, 342 per 100,000 residents, also above the national rate.
- A lot of people have new front doors. 96,168 of the 342,671 households in the 45 ZIP codes we cover moved in during 2020 or later (28%). Downtown, Midtown and the Field Club area are highest. Each move is a set of old keys still out there. Rekey after you move.
- Renters: 36% of households rent, 123,383 in all.
- Cold: Eppley Airfield averages 88 freeze-thaw days a winter and 8 nights at or below 0°F (2015-16 to 2024-25). The 2024-25 winter had 11 nights at 0°F or colder. The coldest reading this century was -23°F on February 16, 2021.
Vehicle thefts reported each month, Omaha Police Department
Average days a month that freeze at night and thaw by day, Omaha Eppley Airfield
Vehicle thefts per 100,000 residents, Council Bluffs vs. United States
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Council Bluffs
The Council Bluffs Police Department has reported a vehicle theft rate above the national rate in every complete year since 2010, though the gap has narrowed. In 2025 it recorded 214 thefts, 342 per 100,000 residents. Iowa reporting is separate from Nebraska's, so the two cities are shown apart.
By year, Omaha Police Department
| Year | Vehicle thefts | Per 100,000 | US per 100,000 | Burglaries | Per 100,000 | US per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2,197 | 537 | 241 | 3,046 | 745 | 702 |
| 2011 | 2,650 | 642 | 232 | 3,321 | 805 | 702 |
| 2012 | 2,747 | 657 | 232 | 3,311 | 792 | 673 |
| 2013 | 3,080 | 725 | 224 | 3,509 | 826 | 611 |
| 2014 | 3,146 | 718 | 217 | 2,997 | 684 | 538 |
| 2015 | 2,543 | 562 | 223 | 2,160 | 478 | 490 |
| 2016 | 3,125 | 700 | 240 | 2,111 | 473 | 467 |
| 2017 | 3,500 | 779 | 239 | 2,088 | 465 | 427 |
| 2018 | 3,123 | 665 | 231 | 1,848 | 394 | 373 |
| 2019 | 3,153 | 670 | 221 | 1,684 | 358 | 334 |
| 2020 | 3,029 | 631 | 247 | 1,521 | 317 | 309 |
| 2022 | 3,357 | 694 | 290 | 1,255 | 260 | 276 |
| 2024 | 3,034 | 632 | 258 | 1,140 | 237 | 232 |
| 2025 | 2,264 | 464 | 200 | 970 | 199 | 195 |
FBI Crime Data Explorer, summarized agency data, offenses reported. 2021 and 2023 are left out because months are missing.
Households by ZIP code
Renters and recent movers are where rekeying comes up most. Vehicles per household is a rough guide to how many car keys a neighborhood has to lose.
| ZIP | Area | Households | Rent | Moved in 2020+ | Median year built | Vehicles per household |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51501 | Council Bluffs west | 14,271 | 36% | 24% | 1963 | 1.8 |
| 51503 | Council Bluffs east | 15,442 | 31% | 21% | 1971 | 1.9 |
| 51510 | Carter Lake | 1,390 | 9% | 16% | 1969 | 2.1 |
| 68005 | Bellevue east | 8,965 | 44% | 30% | 1972 | 1.7 |
| 68007 | Bennington | 6,278 | 8% | 28% | 2011 | 2.2 |
| 68022 | Elkhorn | 13,029 | 26% | 35% | 2011 | 2.1 |
| 68028 | Gretna | 5,750 | 17% | 24% | 2005 | 2.4 |
| 68046 | Papillion | 12,833 | 24% | 30% | 1998 | 2.1 |
| 68064 | Valley | 1,885 | 27% | 24% | 1978 | 2 |
| 68069 | Waterloo | 1,377 | 16% | 19% | 1982 | 2.2 |
| 68102 | Downtown | 5,300 | 84% | 59% | 1953 | 1.1 |
| 68104 | Benson | 15,358 | 42% | 24% | 1956 | 1.6 |
| 68105 | Field Club, Hanscom Park | 9,648 | 56% | 37% | 1951 | 1.5 |
| 68106 | Aksarben, Elmwood Park | 10,593 | 49% | 33% | 1960 | 1.5 |
| 68107 | South Omaha | 9,753 | 38% | 25% | 1947 | 2 |
| 68108 | Deer Park, South Omaha | 5,649 | 47% | 38% | 1938 | 1.7 |
| 68110 | East Omaha | 3,060 | 48% | 19% | 1947 | 1.5 |
| 68111 | North Omaha | 8,520 | 60% | 28% | 1948 | 1.5 |
| 68112 | Florence | 4,468 | 25% | 19% | 1955 | 1.8 |
| 68114 | Westgate, Regency | 8,310 | 52% | 32% | 1972 | 1.5 |
| 68116 | Northwest Omaha, Standing Bear | 12,911 | 24% | 25% | 2004 | 2 |
| 68117 | Southwest Omaha | 2,975 | 20% | 17% | 1960 | 2.1 |
| 68118 | West Omaha, Elkhorn edge | 3,498 | 17% | 21% | 1995 | 2 |
| 68122 | Northwest Omaha, Ponca Hills | 4,743 | 16% | 21% | 2001 | 1.9 |
| 68123 | Bellevue south | 12,635 | 42% | 33% | 1998 | 2 |
| 68124 | Rockbrook, Westgate | 6,755 | 38% | 26% | 1964 | 1.8 |
| 68127 | Ralston | 10,005 | 53% | 36% | 1977 | 1.6 |
| 68128 | La Vista | 7,685 | 43% | 27% | 1997 | 1.9 |
| 68130 | West Omaha, Lakeside | 8,599 | 23% | 21% | 2000 | 2 |
| 68131 | Midtown, Gold Coast | 7,374 | 76% | 47% | 1961 | 1.4 |
| 68132 | Dundee, Memorial Park | 6,589 | 44% | 33% | 1953 | 1.6 |
| 68133 | Papillion east | 5,507 | 21% | 33% | 2005 | 2.1 |
| 68134 | Maplewood, Benson Park | 12,561 | 45% | 25% | 1971 | 1.7 |
| 68135 | Millard west | 10,683 | 13% | 20% | 2002 | 2.2 |
| 68136 | Millard south | 7,812 | 11% | 27% | 2008 | 2.2 |
| 68137 | Millard | 10,572 | 37% | 26% | 1979 | 1.7 |
| 68138 | Millard east | 5,022 | 33% | 28% | 1991 | 1.9 |
| 68142 | Northwest Omaha, Irvington | 1,891 | 4% | 25% | 2009 | 2.1 |
| 68144 | Montclair, Millard edge | 10,738 | 33% | 24% | 1974 | 1.8 |
| 68147 | Bellevue north | 4,568 | 20% | 20% | 1969 | 2.2 |
| 68152 | Northwest Omaha | 2,917 | 23% | 15% | 1977 | 2 |
| 68154 | Miracle Hills | 10,773 | 43% | 33% | 1983 | 1.8 |
| 68157 | Southwest Sarpy | 2,009 | 25% | 25% | 1978 | 2.1 |
| 68164 | Northwest Omaha, Maple Village | 11,962 | 34% | 27% | 1989 | 1.8 |
Area names are our shorthand for the main neighborhood or town in each ZIP. Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (tables B25003, B25038, B25035, B25046). Click a column to sort.
How we built this
Crime. FBI Crime Data Explorer summarized data for the Omaha Police Department (ORI NB0280200) and the Council Bluffs Police Department (IA0780100), monthly offenses and rates per 100,000, 2010 to 2025, pulled October 28, 2026. The FBI rate is for the department's own jurisdiction, so it does not cover Bellevue, Papillion, La Vista or the Sarpy and Douglas County sheriffs. A year counts only if all twelve months were reported.
Homes. US Census American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates by ZIP Code Tabulation Area, from the Census Bureau API. "Moved in 2020 or later" adds owners and renters whose householder moved in from 2020 on.
Weather. NOAA NCEI daily summaries for Omaha Eppley Airfield (USW00014942), January 1, 1948 to October 24, 2026. Winters run July to June.
Limits. Reported crime is not all crime, and a citywide rate says nothing about a single block. Use this to understand the area, not to judge a neighborhood.
Using this data. You are welcome to cite or republish these charts and tables with a link to this page (CC BY 4.0).