LA is one of the spookiest cities in the US — the most terrifying is just one state away

It’s the city of angels.. and demons?

Just in time for Halloween, Los Angeles has been named one of the spookiest cities in the country — screaming its way into ninth place on a terrifying new list.

Compiled by Vivint, the eerie analysis took a haunting look at 74 U.S. cities, based on seven measures — reported ghost sightings, haunted places, funeral services, haunted house attractions, psychics and astrologers, spiritual shops, and online searches of spooky topics.

Los Angeles had the highest number of haunted places by far — with 61 spooky spots, according to the survey.

The city is teeming with destinations full of ghost stories and haunted lore — including the Colorado Street Bridge. The 150-foot bridge earned the moniker of the “suicide bridge” during the Depression due to the high number of people who jumped off the structure to end their lives.

In Downtown LA, the Cecil Hotel, now an affordable housing complex, is another one of the city’s most storied haunted places. The hotel is known for many suicides and unexplained disappearances and deaths, like the 2009 death of Elisa Lam, who was mysteriously found dead inside a water cistern atop the hotel.

The site of a much-disputed 1929 murder-suicide between the home’s owner Edward Doheny Jr. and his secretary Hugh Plunkett, Greystone Mansion is also considered to be one of the region’s most haunted spots. Today, the historic property is a Beverly Hills city park.

Meanwhile, just 40 miles from the California border, Virginia City, Nev. took the title of spookiest city in the entire country, leading in several categories including haunted houses, spiritual shops, and spooky search volume per 10,000 residents.

Also close by, Tombstone, Ariz. came in second place overall — and had the highest number of psychics and astrologers per 10,000 residents.

According to the study, the whole country is getting spookier — or, at least, spooked. Searches for “haunted hotels” increased 315% from 2023 to 2025, while searches for “ghost tours near me” were up 7%.

Additionally, searches for “ghost towns near me” increased by nearly 6%, while searches for both “haunted buildings near me” and “haunted places near me” increased by around 3%.

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