🏴☠️ America’s Most Haunted States: The 2025 Ranking Is In!
The Spirits Have Spoken: America’s Top 10 Haunted States of 2025
If you've ever felt a cold chill crawl up your spine or heard unexplained footsteps in an empty hallway — you’re not alone. Every year, new reports flood in from across the country, and now the latest data is in. Paranormal researchers, ghost hunters, and tourism analysts have updated the rankings for America’s Most Haunted States of 2025.
Here are the eerie leaders of the year — ranked by verified paranormal activity, number of haunted locations, ghost tourism growth, and infamous legends:
#1 — Louisiana
- Why: Haunted cemeteries, voodoo roots, the French Quarter, and the infamous LaLaurie Mansion
- Hotspots: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Plantation Houses
- Reputation: Steeped in supernatural tradition. Louisiana reclaims the crown in 2025.
#2 — Pennsylvania
- Why: Gettysburg alone keeps it near the top, but throw in haunted prisons and historic battlefields, and you’ve got ghosts galore.
- Hotspots: Eastern State Penitentiary, Gettysburg, Centralia
- Reputation: Civil War spirits, underground fires, and dark colonial history.
#3 — Massachusetts
- Why: The Salem Witch Trials continue to echo, and nearly every old inn in the state has a ghost story.
- Hotspots: Salem, Boston, Fall River (Lizzie Borden House)
- Reputation: Witchcraft, sea captains, and Puritan spirits.
#4 — California
- Why: Haunted hotels, theaters, missions, and even highways.
- Hotspots: Alcatraz, Queen Mary, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
- Reputation: Glamor and ghosts go hand in hand.
#5 — West Virginia
- Why: Home to one of the most terrifying prisons in America and the legend of the Mothman.
- Hotspots: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, Moundsville Penitentiary, Point Pleasant
- Reputation: Appalachian folklore meets real-life haunts.
#6 — Florida
- Why: Sun, sand… and spectral sailors, pirates, and conquistadors.
- Hotspots: St. Augustine, Key West, Tampa’s haunted hotels
- Reputation: The oldest city in the U.S. is also one of the most haunted.
#7 — Texas
- Why: Big land, big history, big haunts.
- Hotspots: The Alamo, Jefferson, San Antonio
- Reputation: Old West ghosts and battlefield echoes.
#8 — New York
- Why: From colonial ghosts to haunted asylums.
- Hotspots: The Amityville House, Rolling Hills Asylum, Sleepy Hollow
- Reputation: Urban legends thrive upstate and downstate alike.
#9 — Illinois
- Why: Classic hauntings and historic tragedy.
- Hotspots: Bachelor's Grove Cemetery, Joliet Prison, Resurrection Mary
- Reputation: Midwest ghosts with chilling backstories.
#10 — Nevada
- Why: Abandoned mining towns and haunted opera houses bring a ghostly flair to the desert.
- Hotspots: Virginia City, Piper’s Opera House, Goldfield Hotel
- Reputation: Western spirits, Wild West echoes, and lingering showgirls.
Ghost Tourism Is Booming
Haunted tours, overnight stays in historic homes, paranormal podcasts, and ghost hunting shows have turned eerie experiences into booming business. States like West Virginia and Nevada are seeing surges in tourism due to ghostly legends being revitalized online.
The Bottom Line
Whether you're a thrill-seeker, ghost hunter, or just someone who loves a good spine-tingling story, these ten states are your roadmap to paranormal adventure in 2025. But remember — not all spirits are welcoming, and not every knock in the night has a natural explanation.