An article from CultureMap led me to an interesting list of the top 20 haunted states. It was titled, “Why Texas claims the creepy crown as the most haunted state in America.”
Well, that caught my eye for two reasons. One, I wanted to know why Texas claimed the creepy crown. Second, there’s a creepy crown? What does that look like?
I know. I know. “Creepy crown” is just a figure of speech. But I think someone needs to birth life to that idea and make it a real thing. I’d buy one!
Anyway, the article’s title was a bit misleading because Texas didn’t crown itself with the creepy crown for being the most haunted state. A site that has nothing to do with the paranormal did: SlotSource.com, an online gambling review site.
I guess a site like that would know stats, which is what they based their list on.
Let’s look at where they drew their data from, how they compiled their info (the methodology), and review their list of the top 20 haunted states they came up with as well as the percentage of their populations that have seen a ghost. (Spoiler: It’s surprisingly low! Your odds are better catching the coronavirus!)
The Source
SlotSource.com’s list of Most Haunted Hotspots in the U.S. came together after they “monitored paranormal activity across all 50 states to discover the United States’ most haunted hotspots.”
The Methodology
All of their assessments were based on information found on GhostsofAmerica.com. Specifically, they monitored the number of ghost sightings per state.
The Findings
Ghost Sightings
SlotSource.com listed the state name followed by the number of ghost sightings, the state’s population, and the percent of the population who has seen a ghost.
They rank their list according to the number of ghost sightings.
Most Haunted
They determined if you want to see a ghost, you might hit the paranormal jackpot in Texas, which has 6,845 ghost sightings, the most of any state.
California and Ohio are also good bets. They came in second and third, respectively, with 6,444 and 2,555.
Least Haunted
Not shown on the Haunted Hotspot list were places where the “odds are not in your favor” to see a ghost.
However, they did mention the least haunted places in their assessment. Delaware ranks second to last, but “not-so-spooky Puerto Rico” came in dead last.
Which I found surprising because San Juan does have some haunted and picturesque forts, and P.R. is one of the three points of the Bermuda Triangle.
Percentage of Population Who Have Seen a Ghost
Texas did dominate with their 6,845 ghost sightings. Their population also dominates most of the other states too. All except one, California, which has 39,557,045.
When you divide the number of ghost sightings by the state’s population, which SlotSource.com did to get the percentage of people who have seen a ghost, that number is low across the board. Super low.
For instance, they list Texas as 0.0238. If the ranking for the most haunted states was based on the percentage of the population who had seen a ghost though? Texas would have to hand the creepy crown over to Oklahoma. The Sooner State would lead with the largest percentage of the population who has seen a ghost.
However, the percentages all across the board are actually even lower than SlotSource.com lists. When I did the math, Texas’s percentage came out to 0.000238, not 0.0238.
Put it this way, at this point in time, you have a better chance of catching COVID-19 than seeing a ghost, even if you head to the most haunted states with the most ghost sightings.
The Top 20 Haunted States
Based on the number of ghost sightings.
- Texas
- California
- Ohio
- Michigan
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Pennsylvania
- Oklahoma
- New York
- Virginia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Missouri
- Wisconsin
- North Carolina
- Massachusetts
- Tennesee
- Washington
- Alabama
- Kentucky
For More Info
To see the information for yourself, visit: https://www.slotsource.com/haunted-hotspots
Check-In
Did your state make it on the Top 20 Haunted States list for most ghost sightings?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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My friend pointed out that people may see ghosts but not realize they are ghosts, like in a crowd. I guess she has a point. So maybe the percentages are actually higher in all the states.
Okay that is a crazy yet excellent point! I had a friend who was convinced we’ve all seen a ghost. That they’re around us and we just don’t realize it because we think we’re looking at people when in fact we’re not. But, yep, that would definitely increase the percentages!!! lol