San Antonio Ranks 11th on Spookiness Index

A Vivint home security study placed San Antonio among the spookiest of 74 U.S. cities based on haunted places and ghost sightings.

Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Paranormal

San Antonio Ranks 11th on Spookiness Index

Live Poll

Would you visit a haunted attraction or paranormal event in San Antonio this year?

A study by home security company Vivint ranked San Antonio 11th on its Spookiness Index among 74 U.S. cities, with data collected in September. The city counted 56 purportedly haunted places, second only to Los Angeles.

Why it matters

The index combines reported ghost sightings, haunted places, paranormal attractions, and spooky search activity into one score, offering a comparative snapshot of how San Antonio measures against other large cities. Its ranking reflects local interest in the paranormal as much as reported events.

Vivint's study normalized seven factors, including reported ghost sightings, haunted places, and spooky Google searches, into a single score for each city. San Antonio recorded 27 reported ghost sightings in September, compared with 115 in Austin, which finished eighth on the index.

The players

Vivint

Vivint is a home security company that conducted the Spookiness Index study.

The details

Researchers evaluated seven factors, including reported ghost sightings, haunted places, haunted house attractions, paranormal-themed businesses, and spooky Google searches. Austin, Dallas and Houston took the top three spots in the ghost sightings category.

September 2026: Vivint collected the data used for the Spookiness Index.
October 2026: San Antonio logged 27 reported ghost sightings.

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Season Trajectory

Vivint's study ranks cities on a single composite index built from paranormal-related data, placing San Antonio 11th among 74 cities. The ranking offers a comparative measure of local interest in the paranormal rather than a verified count of supernatural activity.

For San Antonio residents interested in ghost tours or haunted attractions, the study identifies 56 purportedly haunted places in the city. Its 27 reported ghost sightings in September offer a baseline for anyone tracking local paranormal activity.

The takeaway

The Spookiness Index shows that San Antonio's paranormal profile is measured mainly by haunted places and reported sightings, both of which depend on local reporting. Readers interested in the city's haunted sites can compare the study's figures with other local records before drawing conclusions.