Catalytic Converter Theft Statistics (2026)

Key statistics at a glance

How Big Was the U.S. Catalytic Converter Theft Wave?

Catalytic converter theft in the United States exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) tracked an average of 108 reported thefts per month in 2018 and 282 per month in 2019, then 1,203 per month in 2020 — with December 2020 alone logging 2,347 thefts. Measured by insurance claims, NICB counted 16,660 catalytic converter theft claims in 2020, rising to 64,701 claims in 2022, the peak year. NICB puts the total increase from 2019 to 2022 at 1,215%.

Insurance claims understate the true total, because many thefts fall below the owner's deductible or hit uninsured vehicles. Bumper, a vehicle-history data company (sister brand of BeenVerified), estimated 85,430 thefts nationwide in 2022 using a model that combines NICB claims data with police-report and search-trend signals.

The wave then broke. Bumper counted 33,457 estimated thefts in January-October 2023, down 60.84% from the same span of 2022, with declines in every state. State Farm, the largest U.S. auto insurer, saw its catalytic converter theft claims fall from roughly 45,000 in 2022 to 21,200 in 2023, then drop another 74% year over year in the first half of 2024 (about 3,800 claims versus 14,800 in the first half of 2023). Even after the decline, 2023 theft levels remained roughly ten times higher than 2019.

The State Farm series below is one insurer's claims data rather than a national total, but it is the most complete verified year-by-year series publicly available, and its shape matches NICB's industry-wide figures.

Which States Have the Most Catalytic Converter Thefts?

California has led the nation in total catalytic converter thefts throughout the wave. Per NICB, California and Texas together recorded more than 32,000 of the 64,701 nationwide claims in 2022. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California stated in November 2022 that roughly 1,600 converters were being stolen in California each month and that the state accounted for 37% of all catalytic converter theft claims nationwide.

Adjusted for the number of registered vehicles, New York was the hardest-hit state in 2023 with 90.53 thefts per 100,000 registered vehicles (down from 217.60 in 2022), followed by the District of Columbia (77.83) and New Jersey (72.27), per Bumper's analysis.

Thefts clustered where cars sit unattended for long periods: Bumper's 2023 data ranked Los Angeles International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Philadelphia International Airport as the top airport hotspots, and the University of Maryland, Michigan State University, and Stony Brook University as the most-targeted campuses.

Why Thieves Target Catalytic Converters: Precious-Metal Prices

Catalytic converters — required on U.S. cars since 1975 — clean exhaust gases using platinum, palladium, and rhodium, metals that at times have traded well above gold. Rhodium rose from about $6,000 per ounce at the start of 2020 to a trading-day high near $30,000 in March 2021. NICB cited rhodium at $14,500, palladium at $2,336, and platinum at $1,061 per ounce in December 2020; by January 2023 those prices had eased to about $12,300, $1,784, and $940. By early December 2023 rhodium had fallen to around $4,000. As of August 27, 2026, Kitco spot prices stood at $8,400 for rhodium, $1,290 for palladium, and $1,814 for platinum.

A converter can be sawed off in under a minute, and per the Department of Justice, most carry no VIN or serial number, making stolen units nearly impossible to trace. Recyclers typically pay $50 to $250 per converter, up to about $800 for hybrid units, while the DOJ noted black-market prices above $1,000 for some types. Replacing one costs the victim $1,000 to $3,500 or more, per NICB.

Hybrids are prime targets because their converters run cooler and need heavier precious-metal loading. Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) data show theft-claim frequency for 2004-2009 Toyota Prius models hit 58.1 claims per 1,000 insured vehicle years in 2020 — more than 40 times the 1.4 rate of 2016 — while other vehicles of the same vintage barely moved. HLDI cited a scrap price of $1,022 for the second-generation Prius converter, versus $143 for a 2007 Ford F-150 unit.

Why Thefts Fell: Laws, Enforcement, and Falling Metal Prices

Three forces reversed the wave. First, states regulated the resale market: Bumper counted 43 states with catalytic converter legislation enacted as of December 6, 2023, generally requiring documentation of sellers, restricting who may sell, and stiffening penalties. NICB tracked 163 catalytic converter bills across 37 states in 2022 alone, with 31 enacted.

Examples verified against state legislative records: Texas HB 4110 (signed June 18, 2021, effective September 1, 2021) tightened metal-recycling rules and increased criminal penalties; Texas SB 224, the Deputy Darren Almendarez Act (effective May 29, 2023), created new criminal offenses and administrative penalties specific to catalytic converters. California AB 1740 (Chapter 513, approved September 25, 2022) requires core recyclers to record the year, make, model, and VIN of the source vehicle and prohibits buying converters from anyone who is not a licensed commercial enterprise or the verifiable owner of the vehicle.

Second, federal enforcement: on November 2, 2022, the Department of Justice announced a nationwide takedown of a theft ring spanning nine states, charging 21 defendants and seeking forfeiture of over $545 million — the amount one New Jersey processor, DG Auto, allegedly received for precious-metal powders extracted from stolen converters.

Third, the economics weakened: rhodium's fall from near $30,000 per ounce in 2021 to roughly $4,000 by late 2023 sharply cut the payoff per theft. NHTSA notes that federal parts-marking rules and its annual July Vehicle Theft Prevention Month campaign also push consumer countermeasures such as VIN etching.

What Catalytic Converter Theft Means for a Vehicle's History

A stolen catalytic converter is typically covered under the optional comprehensive portion of an auto policy, per NICB. When an owner files a claim — State Farm alone paid out $115.4 million on about 45,000 such claims in 2022 — that insurer-reported theft or damage event can surface later in the vehicle's history record, alongside any police report tied to the VIN.

For used-car shoppers, that matters two ways. A theft-related claim in the history is not a defect by itself — a professionally installed OEM replacement restores full function — but it should match what you see on the car: an exhaust repair invoice and a converter that looks newer than the rest of the exhaust. A history that is silent while the vehicle clearly has a patched exhaust may mean the previous owner absorbed the loss out of pocket, or drove without repairing it.

Vehicle history reports compile VIN-linked event records such as title brands, reported accidents, and theft records. They do not contain the names, addresses, or other personal information of past owners; federal privacy law (the Driver's Privacy Protection Act) restricts personal data held in motor-vehicle records.

Buyer's Checklist: Spotting a Missing or Replaced Catalytic Converter

A missing converter is loud and unambiguous: the engine produces a raw roar from startup, often with a sulfur or heavy exhaust smell, and the check-engine light typically shows catalyst-efficiency codes P0420 or P0430 on an OBD-II scan. Never buy a car that 'just needs an exhaust part' without pricing the fix first — NICB puts replacement at $1,000 to $3,500 or more, and hybrid converters sit at the top of that range.

A replaced converter is subtler. Look under the vehicle mid-exhaust for fresh weld beads, clamp-on pipe sections, shiny unweathered metal in an otherwise rusty system, or missing heat shields. An aftermarket universal converter on a late-model vehicle deserves an explanation and paperwork. Cut marks on adjacent pipes or hangers suggest the previous unit was sawed off by a thief rather than unbolted by a mechanic.

Cross-check what you see against the VIN: run the vehicle's history for theft or comprehensive-claim records, ask the seller for the repair invoice, and confirm the replacement is emissions-legal for your state before registration. Some owners in high-theft areas also have their VIN etched onto the converter — a legitimate anti-theft measure recommended by NICB and State Farm, and a good sign, not a red flag, when you find it at inspection.