Not So Wild West: Modern Bank Robbery By The Numbers

Key Takeaways

• Bank robberies average 18,000+ annually in the US (2019-2023), with over 150 incidents per month nationwide despite declining trends.
• California, Colorado, Illinois, and Texas lead with 100+ bank robberies yearly. Western states experience the highest regional robbery rates.
• Bank robberies peak on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays during business hours. Metropolitan branch offices are targeted twice as often as suburban areas.
• 58% of bank robberies use demand notes, and 14% involve firearms. From 2019-2023, incidents caused 80 injuries and 9 deaths across the United States.
• Law enforcement identifies 52% of bank robbery perpetrators. 1/3 are repeat offenders with prior convictions; 1/3 are narcotics users.

While bank robberies may seem like a vestige of the old Wild West, the modern American West experienced almost 12 bank robberies a week on average from 2019 through 2023. Nationwide, the FBI reports on average more than 18,000 bank robberies a year (2019-2023).

Based on the FBI’s most recent available bank crime statistics, there was an average of more than 150 bank robberies per month from 2019 to 2023 across the United States.

Over the last decade, robberies and burglaries targeting banks have maintained a consistent decline, but they are far from a crime relegated to the past.

There is significant geographic variation, regionally and state-by-state, for bank robberies. Four states — California, Colorado, Illinois, and Texas —  averaged 100 or more bank robberies a year 2019–2023. More bank robberies occur in the West than in other region of the country.

Analysis of bank robbery incidents demonstrates an increased likelihood of bank robberies on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays relative to other days of the week.

Similar analysis of which hours banks are most likely to be targeted does not highlight any periods as clearly but emphasizes that bank robberies occur chiefly during main business hours.

Bank robberies frequently target branch offices of banks more than main offices, or banks inset of other stores. Bank robberies occur about twice as often in Metropolitan community types as opposed to suburban areas or small cities. Bank robberies targeting rural areas were comparatively slight.

From 2019–2023, perpetrators of bank robberies used a written note to issue demands in about 58% of robberies and issued oral demands in about 35% of robberies. Some 14% of robberies featured the brandishing or use of a visible firearm, and violence occurs in about 3% of robberies. Hostages were taken in 0.35% of incidents.

From 2019–2023, bank robberies resulted in 80 injuries, primarily to bank employees and customers, and nine deaths, five of which were the death of a perpetrator.

Alarms systems, surveillance cameras, and bait money are among the most common security interventions used by banking institutions. From 2019–2023, 73% of bank robbery incidents saw the alarm system triggered, almost 90% were captured by surveillance cameras, and in 12% of robbery the bait money was taken. FBI reporting shows that in the observed years, law enforcement successfully identified an average of 52% of perpetrators involved in bank robbery incidents, of those identified about 1/3 are identified as users of narcotics and 1/3 are identified as people previously convicted in state or federal court of bank robbery, bank burglary, or bank larceny.

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FAQs

1. How many bank robberies occur in the United States each year?

The FBI reports an average of over 18,000 bank robberies annually in the United States from 2019-2023, averaging more than 150 incidents per month nationwide.

2. Which states have the most bank robberies?

California, Colorado, Illinois, and Texas lead the nation with 100 or more bank robberies per year (2019-2023). The Western region experiences the highest concentration of bank robbery incidents.

3. What days of the week do most bank robberies happen?

Bank robberies are most likely to occur on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays during regular business hours. Metropolitan branch offices are targeted twice as often as suburban locations.

4. Are bank robberies violent?

Most bank robberies (58%) involve written demand notes and remain non-violent. Only 14% feature visible firearms, and violence occurs in approximately 3% of incidents. From 2019-2023, robberies resulted in 80 injuries and 9 deaths.

5. How many bank robbers are caught by law enforcement?

Law enforcement successfully identifies 52% of bank robbery perpetrators. Of those identified, approximately one-third have prior bank crime convictions and one-third are narcotics users.