BALTIMORE, MD—A new analysis of FBI crime data reveals that Maryland faces one of the nation’s most severe challenges with retail theft, ranking third highest for shoplifting incidents relative to the number of businesses in the state.
The study, conducted by Underwood Law Firm, P.C., compared total reported shoplifting incidents to the business base in each state to determine which areas are most prone to “retail shrink.” Maryland logged 28,312 shoplifting incidents, translating to a rate of 945 cases per 10,000 businesses. This high per-business rate places it just behind Tennessee and New Mexico, the latter of which leads the country with nearly double the national average.
A Growing Billion-Dollar Problem…