Bank Robbery Statistics: Success Rates, Trends & Facts (2026)

The FBI counted 1,362 bank-crime violations in its most recent Bank Crime Statistics report — 1,263 of them robberies, the rest burglaries and larcenies. That total is the lowest since before 1990, and an 83% drop from the 1992 peak of 9,540. It works out to about 26 a week, in a country with thousands of banks. The Hollywood heist has quietly become one of America’s fastest-disappearing crimes.

And the reality looks nothing like the movies. Most bank robbers walk out with only a few thousand dollars, roughly 60% are caught — one of the highest clearance rates of any crime — and the most recent full report recorded the first year on record with zero deaths. It’s a high-risk, low-reward crime that fewer and fewer people attempt.

One caveat on the count: the FBI notes that not every bank robbery is reported to it, so the Bank Crime Statistics figure is a floor, not a perfect total. Even so, the trend it captures is unmistakable — and it points sharply downward.

Are bank robberies going up or down?

Down, steeply, for three decades. After peaking at 9,540 in 1992, the number of bank robberies has fallen by more than 80%. The drop has been remarkably steady, accelerating in the 2010s as banking moved online and branches handled less cash.

A big part of the story is that there’s simply less reason to rob a bank. As Americans shifted from cash to cards and apps, branches began keeping less cash on hand and handling fewer in-person transactions. You can see the same shift in our data on credit vs. debit card usage and the rise of Buy Now, Pay Later — the cash economy the classic bank robbery depended on has been shrinking for years.

How often do bank robbers get caught?

This is where the myth breaks down hardest. Bank robbery is one of the most-solved crimes in the country — the opposite of the clean getaway. About 60% are solved, far above the rates for comparable property crimes.

Banks are almost designed to catch robbers: the crime is reported within seconds, happens in daylight, has multiple witnesses, and is captured on high-quality cameras. Roughly a third of robbers are arrested within hours, and many more within the first month. Dye packs, GPS trackers hidden in the cash, and demand notes carrying fingerprints and DNA make these among the easiest serious crimes to prosecute — convictions are near-certain once an arrest is made.

How much money do bank robbers actually get?

Far less than the movies suggest. The FBI stopped publishing dollar figures after 2014, but its last data showed the average haul was around $7,500–$9,600 per robbery — and reviews of individual cases often show takes of just a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. The “big score” almost never happens.

Worse for the robber, the money rarely stays. Only about 20% of stolen cash is ever recovered by authorities — but between exploding dye packs, fast arrests, and cash that’s quickly spent or seized, most robbers don’t hold onto their haul for long. Weighed against a federal sentence of up to 20 years, it’s a textbook high-risk, low-reward crime.

How are bank robberies actually carried out?

• Most are “note jobs.” The robber quietly passes a demand note to a teller rather than announcing a holdup — quieter, and less likely to trigger an armed response.
• Usually no visible weapon. Many robberies involve a threatened or implied weapon; a firearm is actually shown far less often.
• Almost always solo. The multi-person heist crews of film are extremely rare; most robbers act alone to avoid being identified through accomplices.
• Fast. The average robber is in and out in under five minutes — every extra minute sharply raises the odds of arrest.
• Often no disguise. Many robbers don’t bother with masks, which is part of why cameras identify them so easily.

How dangerous are bank robberies?

Less than their reputation. The overwhelming majority are non-violent note-passings that end without anyone hurt. Injuries are uncommon, hostage-taking is rare, and deaths — historically most often the robber — have fallen along with the robberies themselves. The most recent full FBI report recorded zero deaths, the first such year on record, compared with 21 deaths back in 2003. Fewer robberies has meant fewer traumatic events for bank staff and customers alike.

Why are bank robberies disappearing?

• Less cash to steal. As payments went digital, branches began holding and handling far less physical cash — the whole premise of a robbery. It’s the same shift behind changes in how the average American uses bank accounts.
• Better security. HD cameras, silent alarms, dye packs, GPS trackers, and bandit barriers all raise the odds of getting caught.
• A brutal risk-reward ratio. A ~60% clearance rate and years in federal prison, for a few thousand dollars, deters would-be robbers.
• Fewer, more secure branches. The U.S. has been steadily losing bank branches — see how many banks are left in the US — leaving fewer easy targets.
• Crime moved online. Would-be thieves increasingly chase fraud and cyber theft, which are lower-risk than walking into a bank.

Bank robbery facts at a glance