Which U.S. state has the most reported UFO sightings?

“California leads U.S. UFO reporting volume per the National UFO Reporting Center; on the federal record, the western U.S. (Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico) dominates the AARO/PURSUE catalog.”

By total reported sightings, California leads the U.S. — the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) catalogues more reports from California than any other state, a function of population density and proximity to military testing ranges. On the federal record, however, the western U.S. corridor — Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, and New Mexico — dominates the AARO and PURSUE catalogs because that's where most U.S. military airspace and witness-credentialed federal agents are stationed. PURSUE Release 01 includes incidents from New Mexico (Roswell, 1947), Idaho (1950 FBI memo), Wright Field, Ohio (1947 Air Material Command memo), and undisclosed locations in the western U.S. (2023 "Eye of Sauron" agent encounter; 2025 black-hot infrared imagery below a helicopter platform).