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The deep woods provide the backdrop for some of the scariest encounters with people from the ‘other side’ (cinematic or not) and Vermont’s thickly-forested stretches likely helped earn it the honor of being the scariest state. According to seltzer brand Cycling Frog, Vermont also has the most haunted places and the most UFO sightings per 100,000 people living in the state.
Although there are only 645,000 Vermonters, 90 out of 100,000 have seen unidentified flying objects in the skies, doubling the national average of 45 out of 100,000. (Are aliens attracted to maple syrup?) Vermont’s also got the handle on haunted places, with four for every 100,000 residents, a number only matched by Montana. Maybe having more than 2,000 cemeteries has something to do with that.
Maine, on the other hand, wins for ghost sightings, with about 58 phantoms witnessed per 100,000 living folks, and is high on the UFO sightings scale (82 per 100,000). It’s also recognized for having a lot of horror films set there, matched by Washington, DC and Tennessee and exceeded by California and New York, earning it the privilege of being the second scariest state.
Montana’s in third place, with plenty of otherworldly sightings and haunted places.
Texas makes the list for an entirely different reason: the most serial killers. However, if we look at serial killers per capita, seemingly harmless Delaware actually has the most, which earns it the ‘most murderous state’ moniker. Congratulations?
Although California is only the 23rd most haunted overall, it has the highest number of haunted places (Vermont was just per capita), with 187 ‘official’ haunted places including the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. It’s also where the most horror movies have been based.
If you want to encounter ghosts, Connecticut and South Dakota provide great possibilities, with 52 and 58 ghost sightings per 100k residents, respectively. The national average is 26, so these states clearly need to stop toying with seances.
Washington, DC is also high on the UFO spotting list, at 89, just one person per 100,000 behind Vermont. Other UFO friendly states include Montana (87), Alaska (84), new Hampshire (81) and Oregon (80).
Now, lock yourself in the kitchen and devour that candy corn. It’s the only way to calm down.
Here’s the rest of the top 10.
4. Alaska
5. Connecticut
6. Wyoming
7. Oregon
8. New Mexico
9. South Dakota
10. West Virginia
Want another take on haunted number crunching? California has the most haunted city.