15 States Where Your Chances of Seeing a UFO Are the Highest

Want to see an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO)? Some states have a history of more sightings than others, so whether you want to chase a UFO or leave the star-gazing to the astronomers, find one of the frequent fliers.

The National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) tracks these statistics, and these are the most recent numbers available, all with reports since 1995.

1. California

Oakland, California — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

According to NUFORC, California has had the most UFO sightings in the United States since 1995, with 16,246. If you really want to spot a UFO in the sky, California is the state to visit.

2. Florida

Florida has had over 8,300 UFO sightings and is one of the USA’s most “alien-active” states. Although one astronomer said these sightings could be the ISS, weather balloons, or satellites, most of those who’ve reported them believe they are alien-related.

3. Washington

The 7,234 UFO sightings make Washington State the third most “alien-active” state and another great spot to catch a sighting if you’re lucky.

4. Texas

Austin, Texas — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Texas is another hotspot for activity, with 6,203 UFO sightings. One investigator said he can identify 95% of reportings as drones, balloons, or natural occurrences but still encourages the public to keep their eyes open for any unusual activity in the sky.

5. New York

Central Park, New York City, New York — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

New York is fifth on the list, with 5,908 sightings. Interestingly, reports of UFO sightings in New York doubled during the pandemic due to less sky pollution and people having more time to look at the sky.

6. Pennsylvania

Many of the 5,049 UFO sightings in Pennsylvania were reported by commercial airline pilots, U.S. military personnel, and police officers, which attracted the U.S. military’s attention.

7. Arizona

Arizona is known as a hotspot for UFO sightings, with 4,981 sightings since 1995. The data shows that there have been almost 1,000 sightings for every 100,000 Arizona residents in the last five years.

8. Ohio

Ohio residents reported an astonishing sighting of hovering, rotating green lights in the sky above them in June. The video of the sighting made the rounds on social media, making many people question the existence of aliens. This sighting is one of the 4,472 reported in Ohio.

9. Illinois

Image Credit: Daniel Schwen, Own Work – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons.

Many residents have reported strange lights flashing above their towns, causing local police to scramble to identify them and lay the residents’ fears to rest. So far, the state has 4,300 reported UFO sightings.

10. North Carolina

Graveyard Fields from Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina — Image Credit: T. Simmons – CC BY 3.0/Wiki Commons.

Almost 260 North Carolina residents have reported UFO sightings in the past 18 months, while in June, 14 sightings were reported to authorities. Its 3,680 sightings make North Carolina one of the top 10 UFO hotspots.

11. Michigan

Lake Huron East of Port Dolomite, Michigan — Image Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0/Wiki Commons.

At the beginning of 2023, Michigan made the news when U.S. forces shot down a UFO over Lake Huron. This exciting yet scary event alerted residents, making them spend more time looking up to the skies. Michigan now has 3,669 UFO reports.

12. Oregon

McMinnville, Oregon, holds an annual UFO Festival, where people of all ages gather to listen to presentations by extraterrestrial experts, watch sci-fi screenings, and participate in alien costume contests. With 3,564 UFO sightings, it’s easy to see why this festival has been so popular for the last 23 years.

13. Colorado

Telluride, Colorado — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Colorado has had 3,283 recorded UFO sightings and even has a UFO Watchtower for curious minds and UFO seekers to use. It ranks #13 of states in America with UFO sightings, so if you’re in the West and hoping to see something inexplicable in the night sky, you may have good luck in the Centennial state.

14. New Jersey

In 2021, in Paterson, New Jersey, residents reported “flying white circles” that transformed into varying shapes. A video of the sighting was sent to the Federal Aviation Administration, just one of the 2,897 sightings reported in New Jersey.

15. Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

A town in Missouri reporting more and more UFOs could potentially become the “UFO Capital of Missouri.” Increasing UFO sightings in the state have brought the total number to 2,812.