- If you’re still making last-minute travel plans for the spooky season, here’s your travel guide.
Halloween is upon us! Ghastly ghouls, giggling goblins, and… Uh, gurgling ghosts once again haunt terrified mortals searching for treats.
But what if you want to see a real ghost? Well, you’re in luck, because we now know the best places to go to.
Action Network ranked all U.S. states based on their spookiness score. To create the ranking, they analyzed the number of reported ghost sightings, cemeteries, ghost towns, allegedly haunted locations, and other factors.
Here are the 10 states where you’re most likely to see a ghost. I’ll also throw in the least haunted state in case you’d rather avoid any spooky revenants.
Wyoming (3% Chance)
At the bottom of the Spooky 10 is Wyoming. It actually shares the #8 spot with the next two states, but I have to put these states in some order.
Frankly, Wyoming doesn’t have all that much going for it. The Cowboy State ranks toward the middle and bottom in the number of cemeteries and online searches for ghastly activity.
However, Wyoming has a low population, so any ghost sightings will quickly rack up the state’s per-capita spookiness score. With so few people around, they don’t have to share their ghosts.
Nebraska (3% Chance)
Next up is Nebraska, which also doesn’t shine with any single standout category. What you get, though, is a steady balance of spookiness all over.
Nebraska ranks in the upper middle class in terms of haunted locations, cemeteries, ghost sightings, and ghost towns alike. In other words, the lost souls are dispersed evenly across the state.
Wherever you go in the Cornhusker State, you’re never safe from ghosts.
Kansas (3% Chance)
Kansas is flat and also reasonably haunted. That’s due to the Sunflower State’s unusually high number of ghost towns.
With 299 recognized ghost towns, Kansas has 10.18 abandoned settlements per 100,000 residents. But Kansans don’t apparently care about that, since the state ranks low in the number of ghost-related online searches.
Which means that if you’re out hunting for apparitions, more for you!
Oregon (3.06% Chance)
Moving to the Pacific Northwest, we find Oregon. Its relatively high ranking is kind of odd, considering Oregon sits toward the bottom of the list with the number of cemeteries.
However, the state ranks in the top 10 in terms of reported haunted locations, the number of ghost towns, and volume of ghost searches. We can conclude from this data that Oregon’s revenants lurk not in graveyards but other places.
Oregonians’ interest in ghosts also means that you’ll likely face competition if you’re out ghost hunting this Halloween.
Kentucky (3.06%)
Kentucky ties Oregon with a 3.06% chance of seeing a ghost. Funny enough, the Bluegrass State achieves its ranking for the exact opposite reason than Oregon.
It’s all due to the staggering number of graveyards. With 46,718 cemeteries (or 1,036 per 100,000 residents), Kentucky has the second-highest number of graveyards per person in the country.
Maybe due to the prevalence of gravesites, Kentucky residents also rank #7 countywide in ghost searches. Just grab a bottle of Kentucky bourbon, go sit in a graveyard, and wait for a thirsty ghost to share a drink with you.
While you wait for your departed friend, you can read about the creepiest graves in America to keep the mood sufficiently terrifying.
Montana (3.11%)
The chances of seeing a ghost tick upward in Montana. And that’s no surprise, considering Big Sky Country appears to be one haunted land.
Montana ranks seventh overall in the number of ghost sightings, fifth in ghost towns, and second with reported hauntings. According to the data, Montana has 36 haunted locations, or 3.21 per 100,000 residents.
Curiously, Montanans don’t seem to give a hoot or a holler about all the ghosts flitting about. The state is dead last in the number of online ghost searches. I guess you get used to them when you have ghosts coming out the wazoo.
Iowa (3.17%)
Iowa’s corn fields seem better suited for aliens making crop circles than ghosts. Yet it’s the fourth most likely place in America for spotting ghosts.
We probably have population numbers at play here again, since Iowa doesn’t score particularly high in any spooky regard. That said, Iowans are interested in ghosts, as they rank fifth in ghost searches nationwide.
And while Iowa doesn’t have than haunted locations per capita, the ones that are there are notorious. For instance, there’s the Black Angel of Iowa City, which reportedly does horrible things to anyone who touches it.
You can read more about this in our list of American towns with creepy legends.
North Dakota (3.94% Chance)
In North Dakota, you’re approaching a 4% chance of a ghost encounter. And its no wonder, as the state has the second-highest number of reported ghost sightings in the U.S.
With 410 alleged ghost incidents, North Dakota boasts 52.6 of them per 100,000 residents. It also ranks sixth in the number of ghost towns and ninth in the number of cemeteries. Not too shabby.
However, much like in Montana, North Dakota residents just don’t care about the ghosts, ranking 41st in the number of ghost searches. Then again, they don’t need to ask Google about ghosts when they can just walk out into the backyard to see them.
South Dakota (4.56%)
Things are getting really spooky as we move into South Dakota. That would be because of all the ghost towns that cover the state.
With 246 abandoned hamlets, South Dakota ranks first in ghost towns per 100,000 residents. This high number can be explained through South Dakota’s frontier history, with mining and logging boom towns popping up and then dying out when business soured.
Coincidentally, South Dakota is also #4 in terms of ghost sightings. Obviously, the pioneers, outlaws, and frontiersmen never left their old haunts in the decaying saloons.
West Virginia (5%)
And here’s the state where you’re likeliest to see a ghost: West Virginia. With a whopping 5% chance of seeing a ghost, the Mountain State is the place to be.
West Virginia has the highest number of graveyards out of any state. With 19,902 cemeteries, or 1,124 per 100,000 residents, you don’t have to look far for places where dead spirits may rise from the ground.
The state also has a reasonably high number of ghost towns and ghost sightings. There’s simply no spookier place to be this Halloween.
Least Likely State to See Ghosts: New Jersey
If you absolutely don’t want to see any ghosts whatsoever, then head over to New Jersey. The Garden State ranks toward the very bottom in every regard, so you stand no chance to running into ghosts there.
Or maybe that’s what the ghosts want you to think.