Home » States with the Most UFO Sightings

States with the Most UFO Sightings

By Kristin Cooke

Aug 03, 2023

4 min read

Starlink or UFO? Watch the skies on July 2, National UFO Day, to see what’s out there.

UFO sightings are on the rise, according to the National UFO Reporting Center, and that was even before the UFO hearing in Congress this last week. In fact, Americans claim to have seen 1,439 more UFOs in 2022 compared to 2021—a 39% increase year-over-year. Between January and May of this year, UFO sightings in 2023 tally 1,374 already! And, according to our survey data, 54% of people believe they’ve seen something like a UFO themselves.

So, what’s leading to the increase in sightings of unidentified flying objects? It could be the Pentagon’s official release of UFO videos or the House Oversight Committee plans to hold a hearing on UFO sightings.

Or, perhaps it’s the 4,000 Starlink satellites currently in orbit. Our survey findings show that 23% of Americans have mistaken one of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites for a UFO.

Jump to:

What is Starlink?

SpaceX’s Starlink internet is a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet provider from the mind of Elon Musk. Starlink internet offers unlimited data, above broadband speeds for most of its plans, and less latency than most satellite internet providers. Plus, it offers both residential fixed-location plans and portable satellite internet options. And if Starlink isn’t available in your area, consider other satellite options.

And maybe it is alien life. Who knows? Regardless, our team wanted to dig into the extraterrestrial data for National UFO Day on July 2 to see which states have reported the most UFO sightings in 2023.

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Satellite internet allows you to get internet access from almost anywhere. We can't confirm if you can get it from inside a UFO, UAPs, or any other unidentified flying object, but we can confirm that it'll serve as a pretty good rural internet provider while you wait for the aliens to find you. Or you can always try for Starlink Roam if you want internet while you track down UFOs on the go.

Check out the best states for UFO sightings below to help you on your mission.

UFO hotspots in the United States

So, how often are UFOs whizzing through your state? Check out this map that uses data from the National UFO Reporting Center to find out if your state is a hub of extraterrestrial activity.

What is a UFO?

A UFO is anything in the sky that can’t be identified. In the late 1940s, the US Air Force started using the phrase “unidentified flying object” to describe any type of mysterious aircraft.

When we hear the word UFO, we might start thinking of flying saucers filled with green aliens. The truth is less exciting. Most UFOs are later identified as drones, satellites (including Starlink satellite trains), or weather balloons.

In which states are you more or less likely to spot a UFO?

Every state had some UFO sightings last year — whether that was eerie lights, erratically moving aircraft, or mysterious metal saucers. To find the states with the most and fewest reported UFO sightings, we looked at the number of reported sightings per state and normalized the data per 100,000 people.This revealed that Vermont, Washington, and Montana were the top three states with the most reported UFO sightings.

If you’re hoping to make an extraterrestrial friend or two, here are the best places to spot a UFO.

States with the most reported UFO sightings

Vermont
Washington
Montana
Alaska
Maine
New Hampshire
Oregon
New Mexico
Wyoming

And if you’d like to avoid aliens, Starlink satellites, or whatever else these sightings might be, your best bet is to stay on the East coast or the South as these areas tend to report fewer UFO sightings each year.

States with the fewest UFO sightings

Texas
District of Columbia
Louisiana
Georgia
Mississippi
Alabama
Maryland
New York
Virginia
New Jersey

Surveys from Chapman University show that the belief in intelligent alien life is on the rise in recent years. In 2016, only 27% of Americans believed that aliens have visited our planet at some point in the ancient past. In 2020, an independent poll by Ipsos showed that 45% of Americans said that UFOs exist and have visited Earth. And according to survey data from our research team, 80% of people believe in aliens and what’s even more wild is that 42% of our survey respondents said they’d take a trip with an alien were it to come to earth!

UFO sightings by state

This chart shows how many UFO sightings there were per 100,000 people and the overall state rankings of where you’re most likely to spot a UFO.

Rank	State	# of Sightings Per 100,000 People
1	Vermont	92
2	Washington	90
3	Montana	87
4	Alaska	86
5	Maine	84
6	New Hampshire	83
7	Oregon	82
8	New Mexico	77
9	Wyoming	69
10	Idaho	68
11	Arizona	66
12	Connecticut	54
13	Colorado	54
14	Rhode Island	54
15	Nevada	52
16	West Virginia	50
17	Hawaii	46
18	Missouri	44
19	Utah	44
20	South Dakota	42
21	South Carolina	42
22	Arkansas	41
23	Wisconsin	41
24	California	40
25	Delaware	40
26	Kansas	39
27	Indiana	39
28	Pennsylvania	38
29	Massachusetts	37
30	Iowa	37
31	Ohio	37
32	Kentucky	37
33	Florida	36
34	Minnesota	36
35	Oklahoma	36
36	Michigan	35
37	North Dakota	35
38	Nebraska	35
39	North Carolina	33
40	Illinois	33
41	Tennessee	32
42	New Jersey	30
43	Virginia	43
44	New York	29
45	Maryland	29
46	Alabama	27
47	Mississippi	26
48	Georgia	24
49	Louisiana	24
50	District of Columbia	22
51	Texas	20

Tips for newbie UFO hunters

If your idea of a UFO sighting comes from The X-Files or Doctor Who, you might expect trails of acidic green blood or alien spaceships cruising above the River Thames. The reality is most UFO sightings are less dramatic, such as a strange aircraft or odd light formations descending slowly into a forest.

Planets are also sometimes mistaken for UFOs. You can get to know the stars and planets with stargazing apps so you don’t file a report on Venus. Another common error is mistaking a Starlink satellite chain for a UFO.

Methodology

To highlight the states with the most UFO sightings, we sourced data from the National UFO Reporting Center. Then, using state population data, we ranked each state based on the number of UFO sightings per 100,000 people. Additionally, we conducted a survey of 450 Americans using Pollfish to get their perspective on UFO sightings in 2023.

Written by

Kristin Cooke

After graduating with a degree in English from the University of Utah, Kristin learned to geek speak while working as a technical recruiter, interviewing software developers and tech companies. For over 20 years, she has created award-winning content for technology, health, and finance companies. Kristin is an advocate for affordable internet for all and writes about rural internet solutions, satellite internet news, and tech products at SatelliteInternet.com. Her work has been featured in New York Post, PCMag, Forbes, Business Insider, Telecompetitor, Space.com, and The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.