Pickpocketing rates in the US have plummeted in the last two decades, even more so then other forms of theft. The linked article addresses the difference between the US and Europe:
Yeah, pick pocketing in NYC… I’m sure it can happen but it’s not a “thing” like in some parts of Europe. Not only have I never been pickpocketed in a lifetime of subway riding, my husband left his MacBook Air on the commuter train and it was returned by a concerned citizen.
I’ve heard that in Chicago it’s considered unsafe to have a device like a smartphone, iPad, etc. out on the train. Not so in NYC, half the people on the subway are fooling with their phone, kindle, tablet, etc. Although to be fair I think thefts of such items are on the rise, no one seems unduly cowed by the theives.
One used to hear a lot about this in the 60s and 70s, all right–one would think it was a mortal lock that you’d get filched if you walked through Times Square or down Broadway. Then it all…just…stopped. I haven’t heard anything about pickpockets for thirty years.
Living in NYC 20 years ago, a colleague had her purse pickpocketed (as in, someone grabbed something from the purse, which was unfortunately not fastened shut). Fortunately they just got a cosmetic case. Another co-worker had her purse stolen from under her table while she was eating lunch - not exactly pickpocketing but still, petty/opportunistic theft.
It may well be less common in general, but I do make a point, when in any kind of crowded situation, to make sure my purse is worn cross-body and is zipped shut.
This remind of a friend that got fleeced/pick pocketed by a prostitute. It seems she did it with her toes (because he knew her hands were busy). When he told of this we just laughed and speculated that it must get pretty boring in jail so you had to practice something/learn a trade. 
Side note. Any time someone starts a sentence with “in NYC 20 years ago” you can be assured nothing about that statement applies anymore. NYC has changed very much, very fast. Many younger New Yorkers don’t even know Central Park was once considered dangerous at night. There was an article in the times about that, called “dark days behind it, central park pulses at night” (sorry can’t post a link from my phone)
Very very true. The main relevance was that when I was in NYC very recently, it didn’t feel any better OR worse than 20 years ago. I never felt unsafe there then or now.
30+ years ago, might have been a different story.
I must admit, there was one time when I was sort of hoping to be pickpocketed or purse-snatched. See, I had a nasty intestinal issue… and had to, um, do some homework and deliver it to the doctor’s office… :D.
When I worked in downtown Chicago, I took the L every day. Never had anything stolen personally, but I remember at least one day when the driver announced over the PA, “There is a pickpocket on the train!”
Not as far as I can tell. I don’t take the train daily any more, but I do use the trains several times a year. Last time I rode the L, I was surrounded by people glued to their smartphones with no apparent fear or concern.
Nobody ever stole my wallet in all the years I lived in Manhattan. But it got stolen in a supermarket on Long Island. Not only did the guy take my wallet, but he replaced it with a cheap empty one. So I could still pat my pocket, convinced it was still there.
Bastard.
I think it has a lot to do with the concept of personal space. Few of us in the US use public transit and only rarely find ourselves in really crowded venues. When we do, we try very hard to keep as much distance as possible between ourselves and strangers. When that is not possible, we are hyper-aware of the strangers we are uncomfortably close to.
Just my personal experience, but I’ve found Europeans (in trains, sports venues and street festivals) to be a lot more comfortable in packed crowds than Americans.
The iDevice-snatching phenom does seem to have some legs here in the USA: Stolen iPhones And Other Smartphones Have Become A Nationwide Problem
I can see Elmer J. Fudd’s point and add that even in the USA, sities with high pedestrian densities and truly heavy mass transit usage, as well as mass crowd events, could be more succeptible to pickpocketry and purse-snatching than places where you expect to remain an arm’s length from others.
(Meanwhile, across the sea: Although last time I was in Paris I rather observed, and was more insistently advised about, activity of the street scammer type, it seems pickpocketry is getting ridiculous in some target-rich environments – Staff strike over ‘increasingly aggressive’ gangs of thieves in Louvre’s galleries shuts world’s most visited museum. )
Why Bless NOPD’s heart. Isn’t one of those something that many travelers were then and are now *looking for *when they visit New Orleans?
In America you get mugged. We’re not subtle.
When I worked at a drug treatment clinic I was pickpocketed on two occassions while entering through the lobby. Of course, the clinic did have a high proportion of criminals in its clientele. They never got anything more than a couple bucks I had in an outer pocket, the really valuable bills and ID I kept under several layers of clothing and much more guarded due to the known risk at that location.
Otherwise - no incidents otherwise.