In the years that followed the end of World War II, UFO sightings soared, and the U.S. government, concerned with national security, did its best to explain them away – weather balloons, other aircraft, atmospheric phenomena, birds…. But the proliferation of reports in every state has made it difficult for some people to accept the government’s explanations. (Here is why scientists think there is life on other planets.)
To compile a list of the best states for UFO enthusiasts in 2022, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the results of a report on the subject from Lawn Love, a lawn care resource site, which frequently analyzes data around various lifestyle topics.
Drawing on some 13 governmental and non-governmental sources, Lawn Love collected data on 12 differently weighted criteria across four categories: number of UFO and UAP (unidentified aerial phenomena) sightings; community (including number of UFO-related clubs and organizations and average month Google searches for UFO-related terms); sighting potential (number of planetariums and observatories, number of U.S. Air Force bases, communication towers per square mile, and historical average air quality index); and entertainment (number of UFO-related tours, attractions, and events). Scores for each state were averaged across all categories to determine the states (including the District of Columbia) most and least likely to report extraterrestrial activity.
Data on UFO sightings since 1998 and total sightings came from the National UFO Reporting Center, a non-profit organization that records and attempts to document possible UFO related-events. NOFORC has reported more than 150,000 sightings since it was founded 48 years ago. (These are the states where people see the most UFOs.)
The evidence is making it more difficult for the U.S. government to ignore. In June 2021, the director of the Office of National Intelligence published a report titled “Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.” The report did not find proof of extraterrestrial activity, but the government did not rule out that possibility either. In July 2021, the House of Representatives passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to set up a government system for reporting UFOs. That same year, the U.S. Navy officially published previously released videos showing unexplained objects.
The top five states for UFO fans are all in the West. Besides California and Texas, the nation’s two most populous states, UFO experts say the desert landscapes and the lack of so-called light pollution in the Southwest offer the best viewing opportunities for these visitors. Beyond the top five, UFO sightings are dispersed across the U.S.
51. North Dakota
> Overall score: 3.24/100
> Sighting potential rank: 3rd lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 7.75 per 100,000 people — 14th lowest
> Total sightings 266
> Total population 774,948
50. South Dakota
> Overall score: 3.81/100
> Sighting potential rank: 8th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 8.95 per 100,000 people — 20th highest
> Total sightings 375
> Total population 895,376
49. Maine
> Overall score: 4.20/100
> Sighting potential rank: 6th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 13.72 per 100,000 people — 5th highest
> Total sightings 1,130
> Total population 1,372,247
48. Vermont
> Overall score: 4.66/100
> Sighting potential rank: 5th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 6.46 per 100,000 people — the highest
> Total sightings 581
> Total population 645,570
47. Montana
> Overall score: 4.75/100
> Sighting potential rank: 9th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 11.04 per 100,000 people — 3rd highest
> Total sightings 962
> Total population 1,104,271
46. Delaware
> Overall score: 4.90/100
> Sighting potential rank: 13th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 10.03 per 100,000 people — 25th highest
> Total sightings 389
> Total population 1,003,384
45. Wyoming
> Overall score: 4.95/100
> Sighting potential rank: 4th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 5.79 per 100,000 people — 9th highest
> Total sightings 395
> Total population 578,803
44. West Virginia
> Overall score: 5.34/100
> Sighting potential rank: 14th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 17.83 per 100,000 people — 16th highest
> Total sightings 861
> Total population 1,782,959
43. Alaska
> Overall score: 5.85/100
> Sighting potential rank: 24th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 7.33 per 100,000 people — 4th highest
> Total sightings 617
> Total population 732,673
42. Nebraska
> Overall score: 6.07/100
> Sighting potential rank: 25th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 19.64 per 100,000 people — 13th lowest
> Total sightings 670
> Total population 1,963,692
41. Kentucky
> Overall score: 6.16/100
> Sighting potential rank: 11th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 45.09 per 100,000 people — 19th lowest
> Total sightings 1,611
> Total population 4,509,394
40. New Hampshire
> Overall score: 6.25/100
> Sighting potential rank: 2nd lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 13.89 per 100,000 people — 6th highest
> Total sightings 1,129
> Total population 1,388,992
39. Rhode Island
> Overall score: 6.40/100
> Sighting potential rank: 23rd highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 10.96 per 100,000 people — 14th highest
> Total sightings 577
> Total population 1,095,610
38. Louisiana
> Overall score: 6.43/100
> Sighting potential rank: 18th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 46.24 per 100,000 people — 2nd lowest
> Total sightings 1,064
> Total population 4,624,047
37. Idaho
> Overall score: 6.43/100
> Sighting potential rank: 12th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 19.01 per 100,000 people — 10th highest
> Total sightings 1,295
> Total population 1,900,923
36. Mississippi
> Overall score: 6.75/100
> Sighting potential rank: 26th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 29.50 per 100,000 people — 4th lowest
> Total sightings 748
> Total population 2,949,965
35. Iowa
> Overall score: 7.19/100
> Sighting potential rank: 16th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 31.93 per 100,000 people — 23rd lowest
> Total sightings 1,166
> Total population 3,193,079
34. Utah
> Overall score: 7.28/100
> Sighting potential rank: the lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 33.38 per 100,000 people — 19th highest
> Total sightings 1,443
> Total population 3,337,975
33. Kansas
> Overall score: 7.46/100
> Sighting potential rank: 15th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 29.35 per 100,000 people — 25th lowest
> Total sightings 1,128
> Total population 2,934,582
32. Hawaii
> Overall score: 8.26/100
> Sighting potential rank: 23rd lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 14.42 per 100,000 people — 17th highest
> Total sightings 649
> Total population 1,441,553
31. Minnesota
> Overall score: 8.47/100
> Sighting potential rank: 20th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 57.07 per 100,000 people — 17th lowest
> Total sightings 2,013
> Total population 5,707,390
30. Arkansas
> Overall score: 8.87/100
> Sighting potential rank: 10th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 30.26 per 100,000 people — 22nd highest
> Total sightings 1,210
> Total population 3,025,891
29. Alabama
> Overall score: 9.11/100
> Sighting potential rank: 14th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 50.40 per 100,000 people — 5th lowest
> Total sightings 1,295
> Total population 5,039,877
28. Connecticut
> Overall score: 9.12/100
> Sighting potential rank: 25th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 36.06 per 100,000 people — 12th highest
> Total sightings 1,917
> Total population 3,605,597
27. Wisconsin
> Overall score: 9.91/100
> Sighting potential rank: 19th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 58.96 per 100,000 people — 23rd highest
> Total sightings 2,338
> Total population 5,895,908
26. Missouri
> Overall score: 10.00/100
> Sighting potential rank: 19th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 61.68 per 100,000 people — 18th highest
> Total sightings 2,677
> Total population 6,168,187
25. Oklahoma
> Overall score: 10.18/100
> Sighting potential rank: 24th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 39.87 per 100,000 people — 16th lowest
> Total sightings 1,398
> Total population 3,986,639
24. District of Columbia
> Overall score: 10.34/100
> Sighting potential rank: 7th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: N/A
> Total sightings N/A
> Total population N/A
23. Virginia
> Overall score: 11.51/100
> Sighting potential rank: 20th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 86.42 per 100,000 people — 8th lowest
> Total sightings 2,545
> Total population 8,642,274
22. Tennessee
> Overall score: 12.45/100
> Sighting potential rank: 17th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 69.75 per 100,000 people — 10th lowest
> Total sightings 2,181
> Total population 6,975,218
21. South Carolina
> Overall score: 12.64/100
> Sighting potential rank: 18th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 51.91 per 100,000 people — 21st highest
> Total sightings 2,134
> Total population 5,190,705
20. Oregon
> Overall score: 13.10/100
> Sighting potential rank: 21st lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 42.46 per 100,000 people — 7th highest
> Total sightings 3,384
> Total population 4,246,155
19. Maryland
> Overall score: 13.14/100
> Sighting potential rank: 11th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 61.65 per 100,000 people — 6th lowest
> Total sightings 1,716
> Total population 6,165,129
18. Georgia
> Overall score: 13.54/100
> Sighting potential rank: 13th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 108.00 per 100,000 people — 3rd lowest
> Total sightings 2,578
> Total population 10,799,566
17. New Jersey
> Overall score: 13.85/100
> Sighting potential rank: 9th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 92.67 per 100,000 people — 9th lowest
> Total sightings 2,736
> Total population 9,267,130
16. Indiana
> Overall score: 14.32/100
> Sighting potential rank: 8th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 68.06 per 100,000 people — 24th lowest
> Total sightings 2,582
> Total population 6,805,985
15. Colorado
> Overall score: 14.39/100
> Sighting potential rank: 21st highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 58.12 per 100,000 people — 13th highest
> Total sightings 3,075
> Total population 5,812,069
14. Illinois
> Overall score: 14.78/100
> Sighting potential rank: 22nd highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 126.71 per 100,000 people — 11th lowest
> Total sightings 4,102
> Total population 12,671,469
13. Michigan
> Overall score: 15.89/100
> Sighting potential rank: 10th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 100.51 per 100,000 people — 15th lowest
> Total sightings 3,470
> Total population 10,050,811
12. Massachusetts
> Overall score: 16.15/100
> Sighting potential rank: 12th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 69.85 per 100,000 people — 21st lowest
> Total sightings 2,538
> Total population 6,984,723
11. North Carolina
> Overall score: 18.93/100
> Sighting potential rank: 16th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 105.51 per 100,000 people — 12th lowest
> Total sightings 3,461
> Total population 10,551,162
10. Washington
> Overall score: 18.97/100
> Sighting potential rank: 15th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 77.39 per 100,000 people — 2nd highest
> Total sightings 6,866
> Total population 7,738,692
9. Nevada
> Overall score: 19.20/100
> Sighting potential rank: 7th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 31.44 per 100,000 people — 15th highest
> Total sightings 1,605
> Total population 3,143,991
8. New Mexico
> Overall score: 19.22/100
> Sighting potential rank: 22nd lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 21.16 per 100,000 people — 8th highest
> Total sightings 1,578
> Total population 2,115,877
7. Ohio
> Overall score: 21.77/100
> Sighting potential rank: 4th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 117.80 per 100,000 people — 20th lowest
> Total sightings 4,234
> Total population 11,780,017
6. Pennsylvania
> Overall score: 23.23/100
> Sighting potential rank: 5th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 129.64 per 100,000 people — 22nd lowest
> Total sightings 4,730
> Total population 12,964,056
5. Arizona
> Overall score: 25.27/100
> Sighting potential rank: 17th lowest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 72.76 per 100,000 people — 11th highest
> Total sightings 4,721
> Total population 7,276,316
4. New York
> Overall score: 31.08/100
> Sighting potential rank: 3rd highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 198.36 per 100,000 people — 7th lowest
> Total sightings 5,590
> Total population 19,835,913
3. Florida
> Overall score: 32.96/100
> Sighting potential rank: 6th highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 217.81 per 100,000 people — 18th lowest
> Total sightings 7,749
> Total population 21,781,128
2. Texas
> Overall score: 43.61/100
> Sighting potential rank: the highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 295.28 per 100,000 people — the lowest
> Total sightings 5,786
> Total population 29,527,941
1. California
> Overall score: 69.77/100
> Sighting potential rank: 2nd highest
> UFO sightings since 1998: 392.38 per 100,000 people — 24th highest
> Total sightings 15,401
> Total population 39,237,836