Texas UFO Sightings

RANK #5 NATIONALLY — 6,890 REPORTED SIGHTINGS

6,890
Total reported sightings
#5
National ranking
1 in 4,400
Approx. per capita rate
2000s
Peak reporting decade

About Texas UAP sightings

Texas ranks 5th nationally, and its vast size and multiple major military installations create a complex sighting landscape. The 2008 Stephenville incident is among the most significant mass-witness UAP events of the modern era: on January 8, 2008, dozens of witnesses including pilots and law enforcement near Stephenville observed a massive craft reportedly the size of a football field, silent and moving at extraordinary speed. FAA radar data subpoenaed by MUFON confirmed unknown objects in the area at the reported time.

Texas hosts an extraordinary concentration of military airpower: Dyess AFB (B-1B bombers), Laughlin AFB (pilot training), Randolph AFB, Lackland AFB, Fort Cavazos, Fort Bliss, and Sheppard AFB among many others. West Texas's dark skies — among the darkest in the continental U.S. — produce consistent high-quality reports from isolated ranch country.

The Gulf Coast from Galveston to Brownsville generates persistent offshore and coastal sightings, and the state's massive oil and gas industry means a large population works outdoors at night with clear sky access.

Contributing factors

  • 2008 Stephenville incident — radar-confirmed, mass witnesses
  • Dyess AFB — B-1B Lancers
  • Fort Cavazos and Fort Bliss
  • West Texas dark skies — high quality reports
  • Multiple pilot training bases
  • Gulf Coast offshore sightings

Shape breakdown — Texas

Consistent with national patterns, Texas witnesses most frequently report orb and light phenomena, followed by triangular and disc-shaped objects.

Orb / Light
38%
Explore →
Triangle
16%
Explore →
Cigar
8%
Other
24%

Recent UAP news — Texas

Multiple witnesses in Texas file reports with NUFORC — pattern under review
NUFORC — 2026
Trump declassification order expected to surface files related to Texas military installations
Defense reporting — March 2026
AARO database includes cases from Texas in latest review cycle
Pentagon AARO — 2025

Frequently asked questions — Texas

Texas has 6,890 reported UFO and UAP sightings on record, ranking #5 nationally. The data is sourced from peer-reviewed academic research geocoding historical NUFORC reports through 2023. This represents reported sightings, not verified encounters.
Texas has produced notable sighting reports over the decades. The state's military installations and geographic characteristics have contributed to a consistent and varied reporting history. See the contributing factors section above for details specific to Texas.
Sightings from Texas can be reported to NUFORC at nuforc.org or MUFON at mufon.com. Both maintain state-level investigators. See our reporting guide for more information.

Neighboring states

Sighting counts: New Mexico: 2,156 | Oklahoma: 2,341 | Louisiana: 2,109

Witnessed something unexplained in Texas?

Report your sighting to an established civilian organization. Your report contributes to the public record.