Extraterrestrial Encounters: The Biggest UFO Hotspots in the USA

For millennia, humans have been obsessed with unraveling the mysteries of the stars. Since we first used maths and logic to work out that we’re living on a sphere, circling the sun with other spheres doing the same, we’ve had a fascination with extra-planetary entities.

As human civilization and technology have developed, we’ve delved further into space than ever before. We’ve put people on the moon, built telescopes that can spot planets in distant solar systems and see deep into other galaxies, and we’ve even created a functioning space station, proving that it is possible for humans to survive in space.

However, despite our many forays into the great unknown, we are yet to find concrete proof of alien life. Despite this, many people believe that aliens have been visiting Earth for hundreds or even thousands of years. Appearances of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in the sky have been well documented, with many people pointing to these as proof of extraterrestrial life.

Why these aliens might have been visiting us remains an unexplained mystery, though the numerous reported alien abductions and the fleeting appearances of UFOs have led many to believe that we are in fact being studied.

If this is the case, and aliens really are visiting our planet and monitoring the earth like a planet-wide petri-dish filled with humans, then where are you most likely to encounter one of their UFOs?

Using data from the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC), we at Outforia have put together a guide to the biggest UFO hotspots in the USA. Take a look to see where in the country you’re most likely to see one of the mysterious flying objects. After all, if you’re in the right place, all you have to do is step outside and look up.

The Most Common UFO Appearances

Before diving into the most common places to see UFOs, it’s worth considering what a UFO actually looks like. We’ve found the most common ways in which UFO’s appearances are described, so keep an eye on the sky for these visual phenomena next time you sense an otherworldly presence.

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1. Light

Number of Reports: 27,760

The most common form that a UFO takes is a bright light in the sky, and for the cynic among us, no, that’s not the sun. Strange lights floating in the sky where they shouldn’t be is a suspicious and baffling thing to witness and can be tricky to explain away as a purely regular occurrence.

Some skeptics have suggested that these lights are passing planes or satellites, and while this could seem like a plausible explanation in some cases, they are a regular enough sight that they’re usually fairly easy to identify. These reports are for bright lights that don’t make conventional sense given what we know about the weather and human technology.

Other shapes reported include vivid descriptions such as “circle”, “triangle” and “fireball”, all of which are relatively easy to imagine. Other reported shapes such as “formation” and “changing” reflect the confusion and disbelief instilled by many of these potential alien sightings.

“Formation” suggests that the UFO was made up of several shapes, perhaps organised in a structured manner, whereas “changing” implies that a UFO was literally changing shape before their eyes, something no human vessel is capable of.

The States with the Most UFO Sightings

Here we can see which states have had the most UFO sightings. Whether an unexplained bright light in the sky or a fast-moving shape that couldn’t possibly be an airplane or helicopter, if they were suspected of being a UFO then they were recorded here.

infographic about the states with most UFO sightings or extraterrestrial encounters in the USA

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1. California

UFO Sightings: 15,072

California has by far the most UFO sightings of any state in the USA with 15,072 individual UFO sightings on record. Perhaps the aliens are studying this part of the country due to the huge number of advanced tech companies in the area, or maybe alien TV is just terrible and they come to earth for their Hollywood fix.

The States with the Fewest UFO Sightings

Conversely, these are the states with the fewest UFO sightings in the country. Are aliens just not visiting these areas? Or are people in these states simply failing to spot their local space tourists?

infographic about the states with the fewest UFO sightinggs or extraterrestrial encounters in the USA

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1. North Dakota

UFO Sightings: 264

The state with the fewest recorded UFO sightings is North Dakota, where only 264 UFOs were spotted lurking in the skies. However, as this state has one of the lowest population densities in the country, there could have simply been nobody about to spot them.

The States with the Most UFO Sightings per 100,000 People

Here we can see which states have the most UFO sightings compared to their population. This allows us to compare the states on a more equal footing, revealing the parts of the USA with the highest rate of UFO sightings per 100,000 people.

infographic about the states with the most UFO sightings or extraterrestrial encounters in the USA per 100,000 people

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1. Washington

Sightings per 100,000 people: 87.2

The top state in the country for UFO sightings per head is Washington, with 87.2 for every 100,000 people in the state. Washington was narrowly followed by Vermont and Montana, along with Alaska, Maine, and New Hampshire, all of which are found in the northernmost parts of the country sitting on the Canadian border. This suggests that you might have more luck searching for UFOs in the more northerly parts of the USA.

The States with the Fewest UFO Sightings per 100,000 People

On the other hand, in which states are you least likely to spot a UFO? Here we can see which parts of the country have the lowest rates of UFO sightings per 100,000 people.

infographic about the states with the fewest UFO sightings or extraterrestrial encounters in the USA per 100,000 people

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1. Texas

Sightings per 100,000: 19.3

Texas is the state with the lowest rate of UFO sightings per head, with just 19.3 UFOs spotted per 100,000 people. In fact, the five states with the lowest rates of UFO sightings are all geographically proximate to one another, forming a “low UFO zone” stretching from Texas to the Georgia coast. Is there a reason why UFOs seem to be avoiding much of the southeastern US? Or are people in the area simply not interested, or not paying attention?

Methodology:

We wanted to find out which parts of the country experience the most UFO sightings. To do this, we used data from the National UFO Reporting Center which revealed which states have the most UFO sightings, as well as what visual form UFOs most commonly take.

While this data was certainly revealing, we paired it with state-level population data taken from Wikipedia to calculate the rate of UFO sightings per 100,000 people in each state. This allowed us to compare the states on a more level playing field, where high populations could skew the results.

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