San Antonio Ranks 11th in U.S. Spookiness Despite High Haunted Site Count

San Antonio residents live in one of the most haunted cities in the nation, yet local reports of paranormal activity remain low compared to other major Texas metros. A new study by home security firm Vivint ranks San Antonio 11th on a national Spookiness Index. The city holds the second-highest number of purportedly haunted locations in the United States, trailing only Los Angeles. Los Angeles recorded 61 such sites, while San Antonio reported 56. Austin, by comparison, listed 21 locations.

The city’s high inventory of haunted sites does not translate into frequent sightings. San Antonio logged 27 reported ghost sightings in September. Austin recorded 115 sightings during the same period, a figure higher than any other city in the study. This disparity places Austin in eighth position on the index, ahead of San Antonio and other historical cities like New Orleans. Texas dominated the sighting category, with Austin, Dallas, and Houston occupying the top three spots.

Vivint calculated the index using data collected in September. The methodology combined seven factors into a single normalized score. These factors included reported ghost sightings, haunted locations, haunted house attractions, paranormal-themed businesses, and spooky Google searches. The analysis covered 74 U.S. cities to determine relative spookiness levels.

San Antonio scores poorly on several other metrics despite its large number of haunted sites. The city has the second-lowest concentration of psychics and astrologers among the studied locations. That rate stands at 0.73 per 10,000 residents. San Antonio also recorded the fewest spooky Google searches per 10,000 residents among the four Texas cities in the top 20. The figure was 163 searches per 10,000 residents.