There has been a lot of interest in unidentified flying objects since the Office of the Director of National Intelligence delivered an unclassified report to Congress titled “Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena” in July. People are more likely to take reported sightings seriously when the government is doing so.
24/7 Tempo has identified the zip codes with the most UFO sightings, based on data provided by Cheryl Costa and Linda Miller, authors of “UFO Sightings Desk Reference: United States of America 2001-2020.” This ranking shows the relative likelihood of state residents reporting UFO sightings.
The 85001 zip code, which is in Phoenix, Arizona, tops our list, with 1,374 sightings from 2001 to 2020. That’s substantially higher than the No. 2 zip code, 89101, which is in the Las Vegas, Nevada metro area and which had 970 sightings.
Both are in desert regions with good visibility and a substantial volume of civilian and military overflights that might account for some sightings. Las Vegas also attracts gamblers and dreamers and the ready availability of alcohol at all hours might explain some of the sightings. (Here are the cities with the most UFO sightings.)
The No. 3 spot is claimed by the 10292 zip code, which is in lower Manhattan. There’s no obvious reason why, although it may be that New Yorkers have paid more attention to flying objects of all kinds since 9/11.
Farther down at No. 8 is the 60290 zip code in the Chicago area. It’s by O’Hare Airport, which may explain its presence on the list. The top 10 is otherwise dominated by zip codes in the West and Southwest, including big, populous states such as California and Texas. (These are the states with the most UFO sightings.)
Click here to see the zip codes with the most UFO sightings
Source: Allen Allnoch / iStock via Getty Images
25. FL 32099
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 378
> Nearest urban area: Jacksonville, Florida
[in-text-ad]
Source: ibsky / iStock via Getty Images
24. CA 94101
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 380
> Nearest urban area: San Francisco, California
Source: franckreporter / E+ via Getty Images
23. NY 10001
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 380
> Nearest urban area: New York, New York
Source: Joecho-16 / iStock via Getty Images
22. ID 83701
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 393
> Nearest urban area: Boise, Idaho
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Manny Chavez / Getty Images
21. CA 94203
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 400
> Nearest urban area: Sacramento, California
Source: Curtis and Eric from Crawfordville, FL, USA / Wikimedia Commons
20. SC 29572
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 401
> Nearest urban area: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
[in-text-ad]
Source: Jacob Boomsma / iStock via Getty Images
19. CO 80901
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 403
> Nearest urban area: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Source: sborisov / iStock via Getty Images
18. PA 19019
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 437
> Nearest urban area: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Source: ULora / iStock via Getty Images
17. FL 33101
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 446
> Nearest urban area: Miami, Florida
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Rut Mehta / iStock via Getty Images
16. TX 78201
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 475
> Nearest urban area: San Antonio, Texas
Source: Dan Keck / flickr
15. OH 43085
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 503
> Nearest urban area: Worthington, Ohio
[in-text-ad]
Source: Arrangements-Photography / Getty Images
14. FL 32801
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 539
> Nearest urban area: Orlando, Florida
Source: ferrantraite / Getty Images
13. NM 87101
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 541
> Nearest urban area: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Source: milehightraveler / iStock via Getty Images
12. CO 80201
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 564
> Nearest urban area: Denver, Colorado
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images
11. TX 77001
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 606
> Nearest urban area: Houston, Texas
Source: f11photo / iStock via Getty Images
10. CA 92101
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 636
> Nearest urban area: San Diego, California
[in-text-ad]
Source: dszc / iStock via Getty Images
9. AZ 85701
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 654
> Nearest urban area: Tucson, Arizona
Source: xavierarnau / E+ via Getty Images
8. IL 60290
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 701
> Nearest urban area: Chicago, Illinois
Source: Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images
7. OR 97201
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 712
> Nearest urban area: Portland, Oregon
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: aiisha5 / iStock via Getty Images
6. WA 98101
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 733
> Nearest urban area: Seattle, Washington
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images
5. TX 73301
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 777
> Nearest urban area: Austin, Texas
[in-text-ad]
Source: Bill Abbott / flickr
4. CA 90001
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 797
> Nearest urban area: Florence-Graham, California
Source: Chaay_Tee / iStock via Getty Images
3. NY 10292
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 949
> Nearest urban area: New York, New York
Source: LPETTET / iStock via Getty Images
2. NV 89101
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 970
> Nearest urban area: Las Vegas, Nevada
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images
1. AZ 85001
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 1,374
> Nearest urban area: Phoenix, Arizona
Take This Retirement Quiz To Get Matched With A Financial Advisor (Sponsored)
Take the quiz below to get matched with a financial advisor today.
Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests.
Here’s how it works:
1. Answer SmartAsset advisor match quiz
2. Review your pre-screened matches at your leisure. Check out the
advisors’ profiles.
3. Speak with advisors at no cost to you. Have an introductory call on the phone or introduction in person and choose whom to work with in the future
Take the retirement quiz right here.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
