U.S. searches for “best stargazing spots near me” have surged by over 5,000% in the past month, highlighting growing interest in night-time entertainment and location-based experiences that turn stargazing into an activity rather than just observation.
To help guide Americans on the best locations for stargazing, the experts at Live Casinos have created a definitive list of the top 10 states to stargaze. To do this, they have analyzed the Bortle scale, a nine-level numeric scale measuring the night skies brightness of a particular location – and the average cloud cover of each state to produce an overall “star visibility score” out of 10.
Key Findings
- Northern U.S states are the best for stargazing, with South Dakota, Wyoming and Alaska making up the top 3
- South Dakota ranks highest with a star visibility score of 7.79/10, with 9.42% of the state having an ‘excellent dark sky’ (Bortle Scale 1), the highest of all U.S. states
- Rhode Island is the worst U.S. state for stargazing with a star visibility score of 0.56/10
- Arizona has the least cloud coverage of all states, with an average of just 6.70% of the state being covered in clouds
The Top 10 US states for stargazing
| Rank | State | Excellent dark sky(Bortle scale 1) | Dark sky(Bortle scale 2) | Rural sky(Bortle scale 3) | Average cloud cover per year | Star visibility score /10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | South Dakota | 9.42% | 15.14% | 28.1% | 11.65% | 7.79 |
| 2. | Wyoming | 5.15% | 12.6% | 28.64% | 11.4% | 7.65 |
| 3. | Alaska | 6.23% | 8.17% | 17.34% | 11.3% | 7.64 |
| 4. | Montana | 7.95% | 11.23% | 30% | 12.3% | 7.51 |
| 5. | Arizona | 2.7% | 6.25% | 17.47% | 6.7% | 7.37 |
| 6. | Nevada | 5.74% | 11.29% | 27.52% | 8.95% | 7.34 |
| 7. | North Dakota | 3.36% | 5.66% | 13.33% | 12.4% | 7.27 |
| 8.= | New Mexico | 2.2% | 5% | 23.29% | 7.87% | 7.10 |
| 9.= | Nebraska | 5.12% | 9.52% | 25.62% | 11.81% | 7.10 |
| 10. | Oregon | 4.13% | 9.92% | 24.59% | 12.31% | 6.97 |
Please find the full data set used throughout this study, here.
South Dakota named the best state for stargazing
Live Casinos can reveal that South Dakota has the best odds for stargazing, with an almost perfect star visibility score of 7.79/10. Over half (52.66%) of the state has a Bortle scale classification between 1-3, a measurement of how dark the night sky is. Notably, 9.42% of South Dakota falls into Bortle scale 1, the most optimal setting for stargazing, which is the highest of any other state. With just 11.65% of cloud coverage per year, 0.75% less than neighboring state North Dakota, it is extremely likely that there will be a clear view of the stars and constellations. Sanborn in South Dakota offers the most favorable conditions for stargazing, with a star visibility score of 8.78/10. This is contributed by the entire county falling within the Bortle scale range of 1-3, providing optimal claritywhen stargazing.
Ranking second is Wyoming, with a star visibility score of 7.65/10, just marginally lower than fellow North American state, South Dakota (7.79/10). Aided by being one of the 19 states with laws in limiting light pollution1, almost half of the state (46.39%) falls into Bortle scale 1-3. Notably, 5.15% of the state is considered the most favorable for viewing stars (Bortle scale 1) – almost double Arizona (2.70%) which ranks 5th. Hot Springs offers the most optimal skies for stargazing in Wyoming, with a star visibility score of 8.71/10.
Alaska takes the third spot, with a star visibility score of 7.64/10. Out of the 31.74% of the state categorized as Bortle scale 1-3, 6.23% of the area has an ‘excellent dark sky’ – 3.19% less than South Dakota. Additionally there is just 11.30% of cloud coverage per year in Alaska, solidifying its position in third place. This means that you are highly likely to see celestial events from Alaska, especially in Nome county, where 85.40% of the area boasts skies that are exceptionally well-suited for stargazing (Bortle scale 1-3), contributing to a respectable star visibility score of 8.68/10.
However, during summer, Alaska experiences extended hours of sunlight, making it very unsuitable for stargazing during this season. Between August and April however – lucky Alaskan’s could catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis due to almost perfect conditions.
The best counties for stargazing are in Texas
Despite high-levels of light pollution in major cities such as Austin and Houston, counties in Texas take the top 3 rankings as the most optimal U.S counties to stargaze. Cochran county takes the crown with a near-perfect star visibility score of 9.14/10. This is contributed by the entire area falling into Bortle scale 1-3, of which, 21.05% is considered an ‘excellent dark sky’, the most favorable for stargazing (Bortle scale 1).
Rhode Island is the worst U.S. state for stargazing
With a star visibility score of just 0.56/10, residents in Rhode Island have the lowest odds of seeing celestial events amongst all 50 states. A mere 0.05% of Rhode Island has a Bortle scale classification between 1-3, with 0% falling into Bortle scale 1. In addition, the state has a yearly average of 14.49% cloud coverage, which is the ninth highest among all states, contributing to very poor star visibility.
