With Halloween around the corner, The Action Network set out to find where in the U.S. you are most likely to see a ghost. All 50 states (and the District of Columbia) were ranked on five factors: reported ghost sightings, number of cemeteries, haunted locations, ghost towns, and Google searches for ghost-related terms. Each factor was measured per 100,000 residents, and states earned between 1 and 51 points in every category based on where they ranked. The five scores were then added together to produce the final ranking.
Highlights
- West Virginia ranks #1 overall as the state where you are most likely to see a ghost. The rest of the top 5, based on the combined ranking across all five factors, is: South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa and Montana, respectively.
- The #1 state for reported ghost sightings is Maine, with 58.1 reported sightings per 100,000 residents (811 in total).
- The #1 state for number of cemeteries is West Virginia, with 1,124.4 cemeteries per 100,000 residents (19,902 in total).
- The #1 state for ghost towns is South Dakota, with 27.7 ghost towns per 100,000 residents (246 in total).
- The #1 state for ghost-related searches is Ohio, with 470 monthly ghost-related Google searches per 100,000 residents (55,370 in total).
- The #1 state for haunted locations is Vermont, with 3.41 haunted locations per 100,000 residents (22 in total).
- New Jersey ranks last (51st), making it the state where you are least likely to see a ghost.
The Full Ranking
You can use the interactive map below to see how every state stacks up in the ranking. Hover over a state to see its rates per 100,000 residents, click it for the full breakdown, or switch tabs to see each of the five factors ranked on its own.
The 10 States Where You Are Most Likely To See A Ghost
West Virginia leads the way as the state where you are most likely to see a ghost, followed by South Dakota and North Dakota, with Iowa and Montana rounding out the top 5. The likelihood of spotting a ghost in each state is also shown as an implied probability and American odds, just for fun. Kentucky and Oregon tie for sixth place, while Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming tie for eighth place.
1. West Virginia
- Implied probability of spotting a ghost: 5.00%
- Odds of spotting a ghost: +1900
- Total points: 209 out of 255
- Cemeteries: 1,124.4 per 100,000 residents (19,902 in total), ranked 1st
- Ghost sightings: 35.0 per 100,000 residents (619 in total), ranked 8th
- Haunted locations: 1.13 per 100,000 residents (20 in total), ranked 23rd
- Ghost towns: 5.88 per 100,000 residents (104 in total), ranked 7th
- Monthly ghost searches: 385 per 100,000 residents (6,810 in total), ranked 12th
West Virginia takes the top spot because of its cemeteries. No other state comes close to its rate of 1,124.4 per 100,000 people, and the Mountain State also has a long list of coal-era ghost towns to back it up.
Its most famous spirit is the Greenbrier Ghost. In 1897, newlywed Zona Heaster Shue was found dead in her Greenbrier County home. Her mother later said Zona’s ghost had visited her and named her husband as the killer. A state historical marker near the cemetery where she is buried calls it the only known case where testimony from a ghost helped convict a criminal, although historians debate how much the ghost story really mattered in court.
Ghost hunters also often head to the Lunatic Asylum in Weston, which was built for about 250 patients but held roughly 2,400 at its peak, and to the West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville, which opened in 1876 and is regularly named among the most haunted prisons in the country.
2. South Dakota
- Implied probability of spotting a ghost: 4.56%
- Odds of spotting a ghost: +2100
- Total points: 201 out of 255
- Cemeteries: 301.9 per 100,000 residents (2,680 in total), ranked 10th
- Ghost sightings: 48.2 per 100,000 residents (428 in total), ranked 4th
- Haunted locations: 1.46 per 100,000 residents (13 in total), ranked 11th
- Ghost towns: 27.71 per 100,000 residents (246 in total), ranked 1st
- Monthly ghost searches: 326 per 100,000 residents (2,890 in total), ranked 33rd
South Dakota is the ghost town capital of this ranking. With 246 abandoned settlements and fewer than 900,000 residents, it has far more ghost towns per person than anywhere else, and it also posts one of the highest rates of reported sightings.
Deadwood is the star attraction. The Bullock Hotel was built by Seth Bullock, the town’s first sheriff, and guests and staff have reported strange activity there for years. The most famous apparition is said to be Bullock himself, still keeping an eye on the place. The hotel even runs its own ghost tours. Bullock is buried above Mount Moriah Cemetery, the same hillside cemetery where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane rest.
3. North Dakota
- Implied probability of spotting a ghost: 3.94%
- Odds of spotting a ghost: +2440
- Total points: 190 out of 255
- Cemeteries: 310.8 per 100,000 residents (2,425 in total), ranked 9th
- Ghost sightings: 52.6 per 100,000 residents (410 in total), ranked 2nd
- Haunted locations: 1.41 per 100,000 residents (11 in total), ranked 12th
- Ghost towns: 8.33 per 100,000 residents (65 in total), ranked 6th
- Monthly ghost searches: 278 per 100,000 residents (2,170 in total), ranked 41st
North Dakota has the second-highest rate of reported ghost sightings in the country, but it ranks only 41st for ghost-related Google searches, which holds its total back.
One of the state’s best-known haunts is Bonanzaville in West Fargo, a pioneer village and museum run by the Cass County Historical Society, with dozens of historic buildings collected from across the region. Staff and visitors have reported unexplained activity there for years. In Dickinson, the old St. Joseph’s Hospital is also billed as one of the most haunted buildings in the state.
4. Iowa
- Implied probability of spotting a ghost: 3.17%
- Odds of spotting a ghost: +3060
- Total points: 176 out of 255
- Cemeteries: 158.2 per 100,000 residents (5,073 in total), ranked 18th
- Ghost sightings: 33.5 per 100,000 residents (1,074 in total), ranked 9th
- Haunted locations: 0.97 per 100,000 residents (31 in total), ranked 28th
- Ghost towns: 1.40 per 100,000 residents (45 in total), ranked 24th
- Monthly ghost searches: 421 per 100,000 residents (13,510 in total), ranked 5th
Iowa’s top-5 finish is built on ghost searches and sightings. It ranks fifth in the country for ghost-related Google searches per 100,000 residents and ninth for reported sightings, and middle-of-the-pack scores in the other three categories are enough to hold the position.
Two of the state’s best-known haunts are in very different settings. The Cresco Theatre and Opera House, which opened in 1915, has been named one of the most haunted theaters in the Midwest. Visitors report seeing the ghosts of vaudeville performers on stage, along with a lone figure in the seats who disappears when anyone approaches. In Iowa City, the famous Black Angel monument at Oakland Cemetery is said to be haunted by the spirit of the woman it was created to commemorate.
5. Montana
- Implied probability of spotting a ghost: 3.11%
- Odds of spotting a ghost: +3120
- Total points: 175 out of 255
- Cemeteries: 146.0 per 100,000 residents (1,639 in total), ranked 20th
- Ghost sightings: 35.1 per 100,000 residents (394 in total), ranked 7th
- Haunted locations: 3.21 per 100,000 residents (36 in total), ranked 2nd
- Ghost towns: 9.89 per 100,000 residents (111 in total), ranked 5th
- Monthly ghost searches: 238 per 100,000 residents (2,670 in total), ranked 51st
Montana is the most interesting split in the top 10. It ranks second in the country for haunted locations per person, but it ranks last (51st) for ghost-related Google searches per 100,000 residents.
One of its famous haunted locations is Bannack, a gold rush ghost town founded in 1862 that became Montana’s first territorial capital and is now a state park with more than 60 buildings. The old Hotel Meade, built as a courthouse in the 1870s, is considered the most haunted building in town, with reports of cold spots and the sound of crying. In Helena, the Grandstreet Theatre has a haunting of its own. The theater is housed in a former Unitarian church, and its Tiffany stained glass window is a memorial to Clara Bicknell Hodgin, the minister’s wife. Actors and patrons say her presence lingers, and some report that her name at the bottom of the window sometimes looks smudged while the rest of the glass stays clear.
6 (tie). Kentucky
- Implied probability of spotting a ghost: 3.06%
- Odds of spotting a ghost: +3180
- Total points: 174 out of 255
- Cemeteries: 1,036.8 per 100,000 residents (46,718 in total), ranked 2nd
- Ghost sightings: 28.1 per 100,000 residents (1,268 in total), ranked 16th
- Haunted locations: 1.20 per 100,000 residents (54 in total), ranked 20th
- Ghost towns: 0.47 per 100,000 residents (21 in total), ranked 41st
- Monthly ghost searches: 415 per 100,000 residents (18,720 in total), ranked 7th
Kentucky is all about cemeteries. With 46,718 of them, it has more burial grounds than any other state in the data, and its rate per person is second only to West Virginia. It also ranks seventh in the country for ghost-related Google searches per 100,000 residents.
The state’s most famous haunt is Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville. It opened in 1910 as a small tuberculosis hospital and closed as a sanatorium in 1961. Estimates of how many patients died there vary widely, but the death toll is a big part of its legend. Room 502, where two nurses are said to have died, is the most talked-about spot, and the long tunnel under the hill is also said to be haunted. Today the building offers tours and overnight stays, and it becomes a haunted house attraction every Halloween.
6 (tie). Oregon
- Implied probability of spotting a ghost: 3.06%
- Odds of spotting a ghost: +3180
- Total points: 174 out of 255
- Cemeteries: 42.4 per 100,000 residents (1,802 in total), ranked 40th
- Ghost sightings: 26.0 per 100,000 residents (1,103 in total), ranked 21st
- Haunted locations: 1.60 per 100,000 residents (68 in total), ranked 8th
- Ghost towns: 4.59 per 100,000 residents (195 in total), ranked 9th
- Monthly ghost searches: 406 per 100,000 residents (17,220 in total), ranked 8th
Oregon ties Kentucky despite having very few cemeteries per person (40th). It makes up for it with top-10 rankings for haunted locations, ghost towns and ghost-related Google searches.
Portland’s Shanghai Tunnels are the state’s best-known haunt. According to local legend, the passages under Old Town were used to kidnap drunk sailors and put them on ships against their will. Elsewhere in Portland, Pittock Mansion, which dates to 1914, is said to be haunted by its original owners, Henry and Georgiana Pittock. On the coast, Heceta Head Lighthouse, which has stood on its cliff since 1894, is said to be haunted by the spirit of a former keeper’s wife.
8 (tie). Kansas
- Implied probability of spotting a ghost: 3.00%
- Odds of spotting a ghost: +3240
- Total points: 173 out of 255
- Cemeteries: 131.7 per 100,000 residents (3,869 in total), ranked 23rd
- Ghost sightings: 33.3 per 100,000 residents (979 in total), ranked 10th
- Haunted locations: 1.12 per 100,000 residents (33 in total), ranked 24th
- Ghost towns: 10.18 per 100,000 residents (299 in total), ranked 4th
- Monthly ghost searches: 341 per 100,000 residents (10,010 in total), ranked 26th
Kansas is held up by its ghost towns. Its 299 abandoned settlements are the second most of any state, behind only Texas, and they are also among the highest in the country per person.
Atchison’s Sallie House is one of the most talked-about haunted houses in the country. The legend says it is haunted by the spirit of Sallie; however, skeptics point out there is no evidence that Sallie ever lived or died there. Things got particularly eerie in the early 1990s, when a couple who moved in reported scratches and strange events, which brought TV crews to town.
8 (tie). Nebraska
- Implied probability of spotting a ghost: 3.00%
- Odds of spotting a ghost: +3240
- Total points: 173 out of 255
- Cemeteries: 127.1 per 100,000 residents (2,515 in total), ranked 24th
- Ghost sightings: 30.6 per 100,000 residents (606 in total), ranked 13th
- Haunted locations: 1.31 per 100,000 residents (26 in total), ranked 13th
- Ghost towns: 5.41 per 100,000 residents (107 in total), ranked 8th
- Monthly ghost searches: 339 per 100,000 residents (6,710 in total), ranked 29th
Nebraska has no single standout category, but it lands in the top half for four of the five factors. It’s the most balanced state in the top 10.
Omaha’s Hummel Park has the state’s most popular legend. It says that the steps on its stone staircase never add up the same way twice, and that anyone who tries to count them going up gets a different number coming down. Many of the other tales told about the park are urban legends, and locals are quick to say so. In Lincoln, the Nebraska State Capitol is said to be haunted by the apparition of a person falling.
8 (tie). Wyoming
- Implied probability of spotting a ghost: 3.00%
- Odds of spotting a ghost: +3240
- Total points: 173 out of 255
- Cemeteries: 111.3 per 100,000 residents (645 in total), ranked 25th
- Ghost sightings: 38.0 per 100,000 residents (220 in total), ranked 5th
- Haunted locations: 2.07 per 100,000 residents (12 in total), ranked 6th
- Ghost towns: 10.18 per 100,000 residents (59 in total), ranked 3rd
- Monthly ghost searches: 255 per 100,000 residents (1,480 in total), ranked 48th
Wyoming has fewer people than any other state, so even a small number of ghost stories adds up to a high rate. Its 12 haunted locations and 59 ghost towns are far from the biggest totals in the country, but per resident they rank near the top.
The state’s best-known specter is the Lady in Green at Fort Laramie National Historic Site, who is said to appear along the Oregon Trail east of the fort every seven years. The fort’s Old Bedlam, built in 1849 as bachelor officers’ quarters and the oldest military building in Wyoming, is also said to be haunted by an officer who makes his rounds. At Yellowstone, the Old Faithful Inn has a headless bride legend, and in Rawlins, the Wyoming Frontier Prison is famous for its ghost stories.
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Methodology
To find where in the U.S. you are most likely to see a ghost, a ranking was built using five factors for all 50 states and the District of Columbia:
- Cemeteries: the number of cemeteries in each state (source: FindAGrave)
- Ghost sightings: the number of publicly reported ghost sightings (source: GhostsOfAmerica)
- Haunted locations: the number of identified haunted sites, such as hotels, houses, cemeteries and landmarks (source: FrightFind)
- Ghost towns: the number of ghost towns or abandoned settlements (Wikipedia’s lists of ghost towns in the United States)
- Ghost searches: the average monthly Google search volume for ghost-related queries such as “haunted house near me,” “how to get rid of ghosts,” and “ghosts” (Google Keyword Planner)
- Each factor was converted to a rate per 100,000 residents so states of different sizes can be compared fairly. In every category, the 51 states were then ranked from the highest rate to the lowest and given points, with 51 points for the highest rate and 1 point for the lowest. A state’s total is the sum of its five category scores, with a maximum of 255 points. The final ranking is based on that total, and states with the same total share a rank.
- Data was collected and analyzed in October 2026.
Disclaimer: The odds posted in this article are for illustrative & editorial purposes only.
