TENNESSEE – As Christmas begins to approach, more gifts will begin appearing on doorsteps – and porch pirates may see those deliveries as an early holiday bonus. The term “porch pirate” is commonly used in describing someone who is accused of stealing packages from a home. However, the FBI data cited in this analysis tracked a broader category, “theft from building,” and do not separately count porch-package thefts. However, front door camera’s often tell a much more detailed story of the thefts that occur in places like Rutherford County and beyond.
In that broader category that highlights the number of thefts from buildings, Tennessee ranked second among the states for its rate of November thievery over the five-year period from 2021 through 2025. The Volunteer State averaged 1,100.8 reported thefts each November, or about 15.4 per every 100,000 residents – roughly 2.2 times the national average of 7.1 per 100,000. The statewide figures include Rutherford County, but the analysis does not provide a separate count for the county.
While the numbers have improved year after year, the theft rate remains too high. Tennessee recorded 1,359 thefts from buildings in November 2021, followed by 1,302 in November 2022, with many of those thefts occurring after packages were delivered to residential addresses. In 2023, the number of reported thefts dropped to 1,084, followed by another decline to 903 in 2024. By November 2025, that number had fallen to 856…