Hamilton County ranks high when it comes to vehicle theft rates. So high, in fact, that it is number one in Tennessee when it comes to the rate of vehicle thefts, according to figures based on the FBI's 2014 crime report.
Hamilton County had 390 vehicles stolen per 100,000 residents in 2014, according to data compiled by research firm Graphiq using information from the FBI's 2014 crime statistics.
Many of the counties surrounding Chattanooga also had high rates of vehicle thefts. In Bradley County, 243 vehicles were stolen per 100,000 residents, nearly tied with McMinn County and Monroe County. To the west, in Meigs County, 308 vehicles were stolen per 100,000 residents. And in Sequatchie County, vehicles were stolen at a rate of 340 per 100,000 residents.
Though some larger counties had more thefts overall they don't average as many per 100,000 residents as Hamilton County.
Knox County had 277 vehicles stolen per 100,000 residents, while Shelby County had 349 vehicles stolen per 100,000 residents. Davidson County had 176 vehicles stolen per 100,000 residents.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which also compiles crime statistics gleaned from local agencies, reported a total of 1,371 vehicles stolen in 2014 in Hamilton County. That compares with 251 stolen vehicles in Bradley County, 1,205 stolen in Knox County, 1,180 stolen in Davidson County and 3,161 stolen in Shelby County.
In Northwest Georgia, the figures are much lower, not rising to the level seen in the Chattanooga area until drivers hit Fulton County, where Atlanta is located. Fulton County has 670 vehicle thefts per 100,000 residents, while adjacent DeKalb County has 621 vehicle thefts per 100,000 residents, according to the statistics provided by Graphiq.