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
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25. FL 32099
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 378
> Nearest urban area: Jacksonville, Florida
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24. CA 94101
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 380
> Nearest urban area: San Francisco, California
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23. NY 10001
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 380
> Nearest urban area: New York, New York
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22. ID 83701
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 393
> Nearest urban area: Boise, Idaho
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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
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19. CO 80901
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 403
> Nearest urban area: Colorado Springs, Colorado
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18. PA 19019
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 437
> Nearest urban area: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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17. FL 33101
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 446
> Nearest urban area: Miami, Florida
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16. TX 78201
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 475
> Nearest urban area: San Antonio, Texas
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15. OH 43085
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 503
> Nearest urban area: Worthington, Ohio
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14. FL 32801
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 539
> Nearest urban area: Orlando, Florida
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13. NM 87101
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 541
> Nearest urban area: Albuquerque, New Mexico
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12. CO 80201
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 564
> Nearest urban area: Denver, Colorado
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11. TX 77001
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 606
> Nearest urban area: Houston, Texas
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10. CA 92101
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 636
> Nearest urban area: San Diego, California
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9. AZ 85701
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 654
> Nearest urban area: Tucson, Arizona
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8. IL 60290
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 701
> Nearest urban area: Chicago, Illinois
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7. OR 97201
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 712
> Nearest urban area: Portland, Oregon
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6. WA 98101
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 733
> Nearest urban area: Seattle, Washington
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5. TX 73301
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 777
> Nearest urban area: Austin, Texas
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Source: Bill Abbott / flickr
4. CA 90001
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 797
> Nearest urban area: Florence-Graham, California
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3. NY 10292
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 949
> Nearest urban area: New York, New York
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2. NV 89101
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 970
> Nearest urban area: Las Vegas, Nevada
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1. AZ 85001
> UFO sightings 2001-2020: 1,374
> Nearest urban area: Phoenix, Arizona
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