It's often said that your home is your castle, but it probably doesn't have a moat, drawbridge, or reinforced stone battlements — unless your house is a whole lot cooler than ours. However, the point of this idiom is to reiterate that your home is a place you should feel secure, protected, and in control. Unfortunately, the statistics serve to remind us that this isn't always the case. This year, an estimated 1.4 million home burglaries will occur. These home invaders don't need an army of soldiers with battering rams to breach the security of your little castle — many times, they can gain entry in seconds without any tools.

Unfortunately, there are lots of misconceptions about these crimes. Think of a burglar, and you may picture a masked man creeping through a window late at night. In reality, the statistics tell us that a majority of burglaries occur during the day, especially between 10am and 3pm. While 25% of the perpetrators enter through windows, more than double that amount (56%) enter through the front or back door.

A more accurate mental image of a burglar might be a person dressed as a salesman or maintenance worker who swiftly kicks down the door in broad daylight, and strolls out with your valuables within a few minutes. Understanding the reality of this situation can help you become better prepared to defend your home.

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The following infographic from SafeAtLast provides a quick look at some of the key statistics on home burglaries in the United States. This includes general stats, common entry points, commonly-stolen items, time frames, repeat offense rates, and more. Click here to download a full-size version of this graphic.

For more stats that didn't make it into this graphic, check out this SafeAtLast blog article. For example, 65% of burglars know their victims, and 85% of burglaries are committed by amateurs (rather than seasoned repeat offenders).

Written by Patrick McCarthy