BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — Earlier this week, KX News relayed a study performed by Porch.com about ghost encounters throughout the United States. But like the spirits themselves, no tale of ethereal encounters stays finished for long.

KX has received more focused data from Porch’s study over the past week, shedding some more light on the ghosts seen by the citizens of North Dakota. The original study took a list of ghost reports from GhostsofAmerica.com and then cross-referenced this with population figures from the U.S Census Bureau for towns and cities. The organization found in their analysis that North Dakota is actually the state with the second-largest number of specter sightings, with an estimated 52.5 ghosts appearing for every 100,000 people.

As the previous information from Porch noted that most encounters from across the USA occurred in small towns, our spectral semi-supremacy makes sense. It would seem that ghosts prefer their privacy as well, and this is reflected in their favorite places to appear within the state, too.

The trend clearly carries over into North Dakota, as smaller cities like Fort Yates and Valley City were reported to possess the largest numbers of sightings when compared to an average population of 10,000 people (scaled up for areas with a lower population).

Of particular note is that the genders of ghosts reported to GhostsofAmerica.com from the entire United States, when identifiable, had a slight lean towards female ghosts — with ghastly girls being the overall most frequent encounters. This trend is even stronger in North Dakota, where ghost girls take an ever larger lead and phantom females take the second most common position from adult male ghosts.

31% of all ghost encounters in the US occurred in homes, but the room they prefer also seems to change depending on the state. In particular, encounters in the stars and basements are tremendously more common in North Dakota.

Why these locations? We’re unsure, though it might have something to do with the darker environments and more cramped feelings that stair corridors and basements provide. Regardless, there’s still plenty of time to enjoy the spooky season, and if you’re truly seeking a ghostly encounter, there are plenty of places to visit in North Dakota to give you the best possible chance. Just be sure to abide by any rules and laws put forward by small towns and sites believed to be haunted… if you have to break a rule to see a ghost, then you’re the frightening one.

For the complete study and more details regarding ghost sightings in the United States, visit this page.