Spookiest Cities Report 2026

Halloween plans can start with a costume, a bowl of candy, or a search for somewhere that promises a good scare. For those drawn to haunted hotels and ghost tours, some destinations offer more opportunities to get into the spirit than others. To find the spookiest cities in the U.S. for 2026, Vivint analyzed seven measures, including reported ghost sightings, haunted places, and spooky search activity.

This year’s rankings put Virginia City, Nevada, at the top, followed by Tombstone, Arizona, and Eureka Springs, Arkansas. We also explored which cities lead individual categories and how searches for haunted experiences have changed. Whether you’re planning a Halloween getaway or wondering how your hometown stacks up, here’s where the eerie attractions and paranormal curiosity come together.

Key takeaways

• Virginia City, Nevada; Tombstone, Arizona; and Eureka Springs, Arkansas are the spookiest cities of 2026.
• Searches for “haunted hotels” increased 315% from 2023 to 2025.
• Austin, Dallas, and Houston, Texas, have the most reported ghost sightings, with 115, 64, and 48, respectively.
• Los Angeles has the most reported haunted places, with 61.

Spooky search surges

A haunted hotel stay appears to be catching more attention online. Search trends from 2023 to 2025 show a sharp increase in interest in these overnight experiences, alongside smaller gains for several other spooky outings.

Searches for “haunted hotels” jumped 315% in the last two years, making the term a standout among the searches analyzed. That increase suggests growing curiosity about accommodations where a ghost story might come with the room key, though searches alone don’t tell us how many people booked a stay.

Interest in nearby adventures also grew. Searches for “ghost tours near me” increased about 7%, while “ghost towns near me” rose nearly 6%. Searches for both “haunted buildings near me” and “haunted places near me” increased roughly 3%.

Not every spooky search gained ground. “Haunted houses near me” declined about 11%, and “haunted cities” fell approximately 15%. Together, these changes suggest that interest varied by experience, with haunted hotels drawing particular attention.

America’s spookiest cities in 2026

Which destinations have the strongest mix of haunted places, reported sightings, and spooky attractions? Our ranking combines seven measures, adjusted for population, to compare cities of different sizes.

Virginia City, Nevada, ranked as the spookiest city of 2026, followed by Tombstone, Arizona, and Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Galena, Illinois, placed fourth.

Virginia City led several categories, including haunted houses, spiritual shops, and spooky search volume per 10,000 residents. Its search volume reached approximately 10,870 per 10,000 residents, the highest rate in the study. That combination helped it stand out across multiple parts of the index.

Tombstone recorded the highest rate of psychics and astrologers and placed among the top three for spiritual shops and spooky searches per 10,000 residents. Eureka Springs also performed strongly across several categories, appearing among the top three for haunted houses, funeral services, psychics and astrologers, and spooky search volume relative to population.

Ghost sightings, haunted places, and local favorites

Every spooky destination has its own calling card. Breaking down the individual categories reveals where reported ghost encounters are most numerous and where haunted attractions and related businesses are most concentrated.

Texas swept the top three spots for total reported ghost sightings. Austin led with 115, followed by Dallas with 64, and Houston with 48. These are counts of reported sightings in the study data, rather than confirmed paranormal events.

For total haunted places, Los Angeles ranked first with 61. San Antonio followed with 56, and Honolulu placed third with 43. Travelers looking for destinations with multiple reportedly haunted locations may find these cities especially intriguing.

The leaders changed when looking at attractions and businesses per 10,000 residents. Virginia City had the highest rate of haunted houses, followed by Amityville, New York, and Eureka Springs. Tombstone led for psychics and astrologers, ahead of Galena and Eureka Springs, while Virginia City, Cape May, New Jersey, and Tombstone had the highest rates of spiritual shops.

Spooky search activity brought the overall top three back into focus, though in a different order. Virginia City had the highest search volume per 10,000 residents, followed by Eureka Springs at approximately 7,617 and Tombstone at 7,049. All three combined strong overall rankings with high levels of search activity relative to their populations.

Finding your next fright

From Virginia City’s concentration of spooky attractions to Austin’s reported ghost sightings, this year’s findings offer plenty of inspiration for a Halloween adventure. Haunted hotels also drew a substantial increase in search interest, adding another possibility for travelers who want to extend the experience beyond a ghost tour. Before heading out, check attraction hours, tour availability, and visitor rules, especially at historic sites or private properties. Whether you’re chasing local legends or simply enjoying the atmosphere, there’s more than one way to find your kind of spooky.

Methodology

To determine the spookiest cities of 2026, we created a composite index using seven metrics. Each metric was then min-max normalized to a 0–100 scale, and a city's final Spookiness Index is the unweighted average of its seven normalized scores.

We examined seven variables to identify the spookiest cities in the U.S. for 2026. For our city rankings, we considered the following factors:

• Number of reported haunted places
• Number of reported ghost sightings
• Funeral services per 10,000 people (Yelp listings)
• Haunted house attractions per 10,000 people (Yelp listings)
• Psychics and astrologers per 10,000 people (Yelp listings)
• Spiritual shops per 10,000 people (Yelp listings)
• Spooky-related keyword search volume per 10,000 people (Google search volume)
  • Search-volume data covers January 2025 through July 2026
  • Search-growth comparisons cover 2023–2025

Data was collected in September 2026 and reflects information available at that time. Yelp business search results may include locations outside the named city.

Fair use statement

You’re welcome to share these findings for noncommercial purposes. Please include a mention of Vivint and a link to this report so readers can explore the research and its methodology.