Why Does Wyoming Land on so Many ‘Alien Hotspot’ Lists?

I get emails touting findings from studies all the time, and unless they stand out, they usually make their way to a digital trash can at some point.

But there's one finding that consistently makes its way back to my inbox anyway.

Wyoming is often listed in the top 10 as an alien hotspot.

The most recent of which reads: "With World UFO Day approaching on July 2, Action Network examined UFO sighting reports across all 50 states, calculating the per capita figures to reveal where you're statistically most likely to encounter something strange..."

And you guessed it, Wyoming is at the top of that list, ranked #10 -- a different study last fall suggested the Cowboy State claims the 8th spot.

The sponsor of the study is a sports betting and analysis site. They looked at data from the National UFO Reporting Center, yes it's a thing. You can file a report here.

A map from NUFORC shows hundreds, maybe thousands of reports from Wyoming.

On October 6, 2002 the summary, very brief, reads: "A green circular light appeared and then darted behind the mountains."

In February 2004 a report says, "8 sided diamond, (I think that is a tetrahedron), just appeared or we just noticed it after it appeared. It hovered high above the moun [sic]"

Another report from November 25, 2017: "There was a bright white light floating in the sky and it turned orange when we started to talk about it. The light vanished quickly."

Looking at UFO sightings per 100,000 people, Vermont takes the cake.

The Green Mountain state's peaceful rural skies and clear nights make it the perfect backdrop to witness some weird activity. They're followed, in this order, by Montana, Washington, Alaska, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, New Mexico, Idaho, and Wyoming.

The Cowboy State’s vast wilderness and low light pollution create ideal conditions for spotting mysterious lights, while Washington’s blend of urban areas and dense forests makes it a hotspot for a wide range of UFO encounters.

On the flip side, Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia report some of the lowest UFO sightings per capita. While Texas has a relatively high total of 6,517 sightings, its large population means UFO encounters are less common, 21.7 sightings per 100,000 people. Louisiana and Georgia follow closely behind, with 25.9 and 26.3 sightings per 100,000, respectively.

Massachusetts, Vermont, and Oregon stand out as some of the most UFO-curious states. Massachusetts leads the way with around 6,600 monthly searches for UFO phenomena, averaging 94 per 100,000 people. Vermont follows with 91 searches per 100,000, and Oregon rounds out the top three with roughly 84 searches per 100,000.

Think aliens only visit Area 51? Think again.