Data gathered since 1995 has revealed which states have reported the most UFO sightings since records began.

The research, gathered by the National UFO Reporting Center, showed that between all 50 states, Americans have reported 133,717 UFO sightings since 1995. In results mapped by Newsweek, the distribution of these sightings highlighted Western states as the most common areas to see UFOs, especially once the results were weighted for population size.

California emerged as the state with the highest number of UFO sightings, reporting more than 16,000 in the last 29 years. It was followed by Florida and Washington, which both reported more than 7,000 sightings. The state with the lowest number of sightings was South Dakota, with just 403 sightings. Delaware, with 423, was similarly UFO-free.

Adjusting the results for the population in each state revealed that UFOs were much more likely to be seen in Western states. Newsweek compared the UFO records with census data of each state's population, producing results that showed each state's UFO sightings per 1 million people.