2010 was a pretty good year for bank robbers – at least according to statistics released Tuesday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

More than 5,600 banks were illicitly relieved of some cash last year, netting robbers some $42 million. Of that, roughly $8 million was recovered, according to the FBI.

But it isn’t all bad news for banks. Overall, the total number of robberies was down by more than 400 from 2009.

The FBI report shows that about half of the almost 6,800 bank robbers delivered a demand note.

Only 257 robbers headed for the vault or a safe, while the rest stayed at the counter ­– by far the most frequent location for a robbery.

The statistics show that bank robbers don’t prefer a particular day of the week. Any time Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., is pretty much prime time to knock off a bank. Saturday is apparently the least popular day among robbers.

Crooks also appear to favor bank branch offices located in a commercial district.

Although the vast majority of bank robberies take place without violence, there were 106 injuries, 90 hostages taken, and 16 deaths. All but three of the fatalities were bank robbers.

California recorded the largest number of bank robberies with 805, followed by Texas (464), Ohio (263), and Florida (243). North Dakota had the nation’s best record for bank robberies with only two, Wyoming came in second with three, followed by South Dakota and Vermont, each with four reported bank robberies.

The report reflects statistics of all bank robberies committed between January and December 2010 that were reported to the FBI.