Let’s get this out of the way first: no one is saying aliens are lining up to beam Ohioans into the sky.
But according to a new study called the Alien Abduction Odds Index 2026, people in Ohio do report alien abduction–style experiences often enough that the state landed squarely in the middle of the national rankings. That’s right. Ohio ranks 21st in the U.S. for alien abduction odds, which somehow feels exactly right for us.
The study, published by Canada Sports Betting, analyzed UFO and abduction-related reports across the U.S. and Canada between 2019 and 2024. Instead of predicting alien encounters, it looked at patterns. Where do people consistently report strange lights, missing time, or close encounters year after year?
And yes, Ohio made the list.
What the Study Actually Measured
Despite the dramatic name, this index is less X-Files and more data spreadsheet.
Researchers pulled reports from the National UFO Reporting Center and the Canadian UFO Survey, then adjusted them based on population. That way, heavily populated states like California didn’t automatically rise to the top just because more people live there.
The end result was an “implied probability” ranking that shows where abduction-style reports show up more often compared to other places. Ohio’s implied probability came out to 1.13 percent, which the study translates to roughly one reported abduction-style experience for every 11,300 residents.
Important note: the study does not claim these experiences are real alien encounters. It tracks reports, not proof.
In other words, this is about where people say strange things happened, not whether they actually did.
How Ohio Compares to Other States
If you’re wondering where the real hotspots are, they’re not where most people expect.
New Hampshire topped the list, followed by states like Idaho, Vermont, and Maine. These places report UFO sightings at much higher rates per capita, and a surprising number of those reports include claims of missing time or close encounters.
Ohio didn’t crack the top 20, but researchers noted something interesting. Reports here are consistent. They show up across cities, suburbs, and rural areas rather than clustering in one specific region.
That consistency is what keeps Ohio on the radar.
As one analyst put it, when you map these reports out year after year, the same states keep appearing. Ohio is one of them.
Ohio’s Long, Strange UFO History
If all of this feels oddly familiar, there’s a reason.
Ohio has deep roots in UFO lore, largely thanks to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton. From 1947 to 1969, the U.S. Air Force ran Project Blue Book out of Wright-Patt, investigating thousands of UFO reports across the country.
According to declassified National Security Agency documents, Project Blue Book ultimately found no evidence that UFOs posed a national security threat or were linked to extraterrestrial life. Many sightings were chalked up to aircraft, weather phenomena, or misidentified objects.
Still, the fact that Ohio was at the center of the country’s most famous UFO investigation helped cement its place in American UFO culture.
Even today, reports continue. The National UFO Reporting Center logged multiple Ohio sightings in January alone, including reports from Toledo, Hilliard, and Chillicothe. Most had plausible explanations, like lanterns or aircraft, but not all came with a clear answer.
Why People Report These Experiences at All
One of the more interesting parts of the study isn’t about aliens at all. It’s about people.
Researchers looked at factors like sleep patterns, fatigue, and public awareness. The idea is that exhaustion, stress, and heightened curiosity can all influence how people perceive and report unusual experiences.
Add in social media, decades of UFO pop culture, and a general sense that “something weird is always happening,” and it’s not hard to see why stories like these persist.
NASA even launched its own study of unidentified anomalous phenomena in 2022. Their conclusion so far? There isn’t enough high-quality data to make definitive claims, and many sightings likely have ordinary explanations.
Which brings us back to Ohio.
So… Are Aliens Targeting Columbus?
Probably not.
But Ohio does sit at a crossroads of military history, aviation, rural darkness, and densely populated metro areas. It’s a place where planes, satellites, drones, and weather phenomena cross paths constantly. It’s also a place where people pay attention and talk about what they see.
That combination makes Ohio fertile ground for reports, stories, and speculation.
And honestly, that might be the most Ohio thing of all.
Whether you see this study as entertaining, unsettling, or just another weird statistic to file away, it adds one more chapter to the state’s long relationship with the unexplained. If nothing else, it’s a reminder that even in the Midwest, things can get a little strange.
Just maybe keep an eye on the sky.
You know. For research.
