At CNET, we keep a close eye on package theft trends and how US adults are reacting to the growing threat. Our latest 2025 survey -- and our fourth annual on porch theft -- showed that 30% of Americans have had a package stolen in the past year, nearly had one stolen or know someone who has. As more holiday shopping than ever is done online, that's putting $300 of packages at risk for the average adult.
Porch piracy and related package thefts have become a common tactic for burglars in recent years. Put yourself in the mind of a criminal and you'll see porch packages are easy targets. It's much faster and much lower risk for the thief and porch pirates know packages are being shipped to millions of homes this time of year, many filled with expensive electronics that only take a few seconds to snag.
If we learned anything from last year's survey, it's that 71% of US adults chose to take action to prevent package theft, including 28% of Americans who didn't plan on leaving their home unattended for more than a few hours to avoid it.
But why inconvenience yourself when technology can help? In 12-plus years working with home security devices, I've been paying attention to advances in home security tech and how it can help you defend against package theft and other security harms.
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Key takeaways
The estimated mean value of packages that will be delivered to an individual's home or someone else's address this holiday season is $300.06 per US adult, an $8.68 increase over 2024 findings.
Gen X and Boomers account for the highest expected value of delivered packages.
Over 1 in 5 (21%) US adults know someone who has had a package stolen.
1 in 7 (14%) US adults have had a package stolen in the past year.
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