It’s the spooky season. A time to watch horror/slasher films, dress up as a ghoulish monster, and eat a ton of candy. Folklore suggests we put on masks and disguise ourselves to trick the real ghosts on All Hallows’ Eve. It’s fun and exciting, but what if spirits are real and floating around you right now? In America, there are many tales of scary houses, but some states have more than their fair share of phantoms and things that go bump in the night. How haunted is your state?
Under the pale glow of moonlight, a new study has taken on the eerie task of ranking which states have the most ghostly encounters. Researchers at Casino.ca analyzed 1.8 million reported ghost sightings across the United States, tracing accounts that stretch back a full century. Their results reveal a curious map of the supernatural with some regions barely flickering with paranormal activity, while others practically hum with haunted energy.
The Top 5 Most Haunted States
You might be surprised at which states rank the highest for having the most supernatural reports.
No. 5: Utah
If the American ghosts ever needed room to roam, they’d head straight for Utah. The state’s vast, red-rock deserts and wind-carved canyons seem made for whispers that float on the air. Old mining towns lie half-buried in dust, their saloon doors creaking in the wind like they’re still waiting for customers who never come back. Utah ranks fifth on the haunted list, with about 65 reported ghost sightings for every 10,000 residents.
Its abandoned silver camps and century-old rail sites are perfect stages for eerie legends. In the deserted town of Silver Reef, visitors still tell of ghostly lanterns drifting through tunnels that have been sealed for decades.
No. 4: California
In California, the ghosts prefer a little glamour. The sun sets on the Pacific, the surf crashes against the shore, and somewhere behind all that glitter, a shadow moves. Ranking fourth with about 72 sightings per 10,000 residents, the Golden State proves that even paradise has its haunted corners.
The Queen Mary in Long Beach still echoes with phantom footsteps from its ocean-liner days, and guests say laughter drifts from empty staterooms. Down in San Diego, the Whaley House is famous for its creepy blend of home, courthouse, and gallows. Historians blame California’s dramatic past – the Gold Rush, earthquakes, and silent-film tragedies – for why so many tales stories still shimmer in the dark. Beneath all that sunshine, California’s ghosts wear their secrets with Hollywood style.
No. 3: Louisiana
Louisiana doesn’t just tell ghost stories, it breathes them. In New Orleans, history clings to every brick, and after sunset the air grows thick with jazz, jasmine, and things unseen. Ranking third with roughly 74 sightings per 10,000 people, the state has turned its hauntings into a cultural art form.
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 remains the crown jewel of local legends, where the voodoo priestess Marie Laveau is said to keep eternal watch over her tomb. Tour guides call New Orleans “a city built on memory,” and with good reason: Its graveyards rise above ground like marble neighborhoods for the dead. From the French Quarter’s flickering gas lamps to the bayou’s moss-draped oaks, Louisiana proves that the past here never really says goodbye.
No. 2: Texas
Everything’s bigger in Texas, including its ghosts. The Lone Star State takes second place with about 77 sightings per 10,000 residents, and its hauntings are as bold as its legends.
Across the plains, the mysterious Marfa Lights appear and vanish without explanation, glowing like campfires on the horizon. In San Antonio, visitors still murmur about soldiers seen guarding the Alamo long after closing time. Texas’ long history of battles, boomtowns, and border lore makes it fertile ground for supernatural tales. Researchers credit the state’s storytelling culture for keeping those spirits alive. Here, the frontier never truly closed; it just moved into the afterlife.
No. 1: New York
If ghosts have a capital city, it’s New York. From colonial mansions to subway tunnels, the Empire State hums with more than just traffic and ambition. Topping the list with about 81 ghost sightings for every 10,000 residents, New York holds the crown as the most haunted state in America.
“New York seems to have the perfect mix of history and atmosphere to keep spirits lingering,” said data analyst Katt Rodrigues, who worked on the Casino.ca study.
Spooky energy is strongest at Manhattan’s Morris-Jumel Mansion, built in 1765 and once visited by George Washington and Aaron Burr. Paranormal investigator Dom Villella told the New York Post, “I felt very uneasy there. You know when you walk into a room and the room’s just got a really heavy feeling to it, and the energy feels weird. That’s the Morris-Jumel Mansion. You walk in there and you just feel very uncomfortable until you leave.” He continued:
“In my opinion, what you feel at the mansion is residual energy — it’s not literally haunted, it’s just replaying energy of people who were there over time. Structures, especially old buildings, will absorb the energies of people who spend a lot of time there, and if the conditions are perfect, it will replay it.”
Rounding out the top 10 most haunted states, Florida comes in at sixth place, followed by Pennsylvania, Alabama, Nevada, and, at number 10, Washington state.
Whether someone believes in spirits or not, the fascination clearly endures. Ghost-themed tourism now thrives in cities such as Savannah, Charleston, and New Orleans. Visitors line up for nighttime walks through graveyards and historic mansions, hoping to catch even a hint of the unexplained. In Colorado, the Stanley Hotel – the inspiration for The Shining – books out months in advance for guests eager to test their courage.
Perhaps that’s why these tales never fade. They speak less to the dead than to the living: our memories, fears, and desire to believe that the past never fully lets go. And if the floor creaks or the lights flicker while you’re reading this, maybe it’s just old wiring. Then again … maybe not.
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