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Who gets the most spam calls: a ranking of every state

By Jill Jaracz - August 10, 2023

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Getting a spam call on a cellphone

Steps to take before trading in your smartphone

Gone are the days when a phone ringing off the hook signaled popularity.
Unwanted calls are the most common complaint to the Federal Communication Commission. So far this year, people in all 50 states and the District of Columbia have reported more than 41,000 unwanted calls.

 

Spam calls come in many forms, including robocalls that use automatic dialing software to quickly call a list of numbers and send a pre-recorded message or use an artificial voice to make their pitch. The robots are busy, too—the FCC notes that robocallers make about 4 billion calls a month.

 

Robocalls have become such a nuisance that many people have stopped answering their phones. This trend can have serious implications in the case of emergencies, as it could prevent people from getting critical information.

 

Consumers across the country who do report spam calls to the FCC complain most about live voice calls. However, spam texts increased by 25% from 2021 to 2022. In March 2023, the FCC released its first ruling designed to combat the rise of spam texts by targeting and eliminating illegal texts. The agency hopes this decreases the number of text-based scams and phishing schemes that unlawfully try to get information or money from people.

 

In partnership with Visible, Stacker analyzed the FCC's Consumer Complaints data and ranked each state based on the least to the most spam calls received in 2023 so far. The data is self-reported and does not represent all spam calls. The number of spam calls reported per 100,000 residents determined the states' ranking. The type of call (pre-recorded calls, live voice calls, or text messages) is listed when available. However, not all complaints included the call type, meaning percentages may not add up to 100.

chart of spam calls reported per state

If you're trying to reduce the number of spam calls you get, register your cell number with the FCC's Do Not Call Registry. Being on the registry can lessen—but not necessarily eliminate—sales calls from legitimate companies. If you're on the registry, nonsales calls from political organizations, charities, debt collectors, surveyors, and those containing information are still allowed to contact you.

 

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Riverboat along a river in Louisiana

#51. Louisiana- 6 spam calls reported for every 100,000 resident
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 263
-- Live voice: 91 (34.6% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 68 (25.9% of total)
-- Text message: 24 (9.1% of total)

Downtown skyline of a city in West Virginia

#50. West Virginia- 6 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 113
-- Live voice: 40 (35.4% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 29 (25.7% of total)
-- Text message: 3 (2.7% of total)

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Aerial view of houses in Arkansas

#49. Arkansas- 7 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 209
-- Live voice: 72 (34.4% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 50 (23.9% of total)
-- Text message: 24 (11.5% of total)

Aerial view of a city in Montana

#48. Montana- 7 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 82
-- Live voice: 22 (26.8% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 30 (36.6% of total)
-- Text message: 8 (9.8% of total)

Downtown in North Dakota

#47. North Dakota- 8 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 62
-- Live voice: 19 (30.6% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 21 (33.9% of total)
-- Text message: 4 (6.5% of total)

Skyline of a city in Mississippi

#46. Mississippi- 8 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 236
-- Live voice: 51 (21.6% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 114 (48.3% of total)
-- Text message: 18 (7.6% of total)

Sunset over a city in Alabama

#45. Alabama- 8 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 416
-- Live voice: 145 (34.9% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 117 (28.1% of total)
-- Text message: 27 (6.5% of total)

View from a port in Rhode Island

#44. Rhode Island- 8 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 91
-- Live voice: 24 (26.4% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 30 (33.0% of total)
-- Text message: 9 (9.9% of total)

Skyline of city in Nebraska

#43. Nebraska- 8 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 165
-- Live voice: 57 (34.5% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 38 (23.0% of total)
-- Text message: 21 (12.7% of total)

The Gateway Arch in St Louis

#42. Missouri- 8 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 521
-- Live voice: 154 (29.6% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 124 (23.8% of total)
-- Text message: 62 (11.9% of total)

Aerial view of skyscrapers along the Hawaiian Coast

#41. Hawaii- 9 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 126
-- Live voice: 35 (27.8% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 43 (34.1% of total)
-- Text message: 11 (8.7% of total)

Aerial view of a city skyline in Delaware

#40. Delaware- 9 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 90
-- Live voice: 33 (36.7% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 27 (30.0% of total)
-- Text message: 5 (5.6% of total)

Aerial view of skyscrapers along the Hawaiian Coast

#39. New Mexico- 9 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 187
-- Live voice: 45 (24.1% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 46 (24.6% of total)
-- Text message: 20 (10.7% of total)

Bridge at dusk in Minnesota

#38. Minnesota- 9 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 513
-- Live voice: 125 (24.4% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 131 (25.5% of total)
-- Text message: 94 (18.3% of total)

Farms with wind turbines in Indiana

#37. Indiana- 9 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 629
-- Live voice: 181 (28.8% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 170 (27.0% of total)
-- Text message: 96 (15.3% of total)

Route 66 in a small town in Oklahoma

#36. Oklahoma- 9 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 377
-- Live voice: 141 (37.4% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 92 (24.4% of total)
-- Text message: 44 (11.7% of total)

Fall colors in Idaho

#35. Idaho- 10 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 186
-- Live voice: 54 (29.0% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 31 (16.7% of total)
-- Text message: 27 (14.5% of total)

View along the river in Wyoming

#34. Wyoming- 10 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 57
-- Live voice: 14 (24.6% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 7 (12.3% of total)
-- Text message: 27 (47.4% of total)

Downtown skyline of Detroit

#33. Michigan- 10 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 1,003
-- Live voice: 356 (35.5% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 228 (22.7% of total)
-- Text message: 114 (11.4% of total)

Aerial view of skyline in New Jersey

#32. New Jersey- 10 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 938
-- Live voice: 326 (34.8% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 203 (21.6% of total)
-- Text message: 94 (10.0% of total)

Downtown view of a skyline in Pennsylvania

#31. Pennsylvania- 10 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 1,356
-- Live voice: 450 (33.2% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 437 (32.2% of total)
-- Text message: 125 (9.2% of total)

View from a hill in South Dakota

#30. South Dakota- 11 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 96
-- Live voice: 31 (32.3% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 31 (32.3% of total)
-- Text message: 8 (8.3% of total)

View along the lake in Madison, WI

#29. Wisconsin- 11 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 632
-- Live voice: 146 (23.1% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 243 (38.4% of total)
-- Text message: 75 (11.9% of total)

River running through a city in Kansas

#28. Kansas- 11 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 317
-- Live voice: 123 (38.8% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 98 (30.9% of total)
-- Text message: 23 (7.3% of total)

Austin, TX skyline along the river

#27. Texas- 11 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 3,340
-- Live voice: 1127 (33.7% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 825 (24.7% of total)
-- Text message: 388 (11.6% of total)

Fall colors along the river in Georgia

#26. Georgia- 11 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 1,218
-- Live voice: 362 (29.7% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 307 (25.2% of total)
-- Text message: 146 (12.0% of total)

Aerial view of a town in Iowa

#25. Iowa- 11 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 359
-- Live voice: 75 (20.9% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 167 (46.5% of total)
-- Text message: 44 (12.3% of total)

View of a skyline in Connecticut

#24. Connecticut- 11 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 408
-- Live voice: 124 (30.4% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 144 (35.3% of total)
-- Text message: 31 (7.6% of total)

View of a city skyline in Ohio

#23. Ohio- 11 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 1,340
-- Live voice: 428 (31.9% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 393 (29.3% of total)
-- Text message: 138 (10.3% of total)

Downtown Johnson City, TN

#22. Tennessee- 11 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 805
-- Live voice: 264 (32.8% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 217 (27.0% of total)
-- Text message: 86 (10.7% of total)

NYC skyline

#21. New York- 12 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 2,324
-- Live voice: 591 (25.4% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 770 (33.1% of total)
-- Text message: 192 (8.3% of total)

Bridge at dusk in Kentucky

#20. Kentucky- 12 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 533
-- Live voice: 237 (44.5% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 110 (20.6% of total)
-- Text message: 89 (16.7% of total)

Downtown view in Vermont

#19. Vermont- 12 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 77
-- Live voice: 24 (31.2% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 31 (40.3% of total)
-- Text message: 3 (3.9% of total)

Stretch of beach in Florida

#18. Florida- 12 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 2,701
-- Live voice: 847 (31.4% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 702 (26.0% of total)
-- Text message: 310 (11.5% of total)

Skyline at Dusk in New Hampshire

#17. New Hampshire- 12 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 170
-- Live voice: 48 (28.2% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 51 (30.0% of total)
-- Text message: 25 (14.7% of total)

River in South Carolina

#16. South Carolina- 13 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 672
-- Live voice: 207 (30.8% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 187 (27.8% of total)
-- Text message: 81 (12.1% of total)

Skyline in North Carolina

#15. North Carolina- 13 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 1,362
-- Live voice: 405 (29.7% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 310 (22.8% of total)
-- Text message: 178 (13.1% of total)

Mountain town in Utah with snowcapped peaks in the background

#14. Utah- 13 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 431
-- Live voice: 137 (31.8% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 146 (33.9% of total)
-- Text message: 54 (12.5% of total)

Phoenix skyline

#13. Arizona- 14 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 997
-- Live voice: 313 (31.4% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 259 (26.0% of total)
-- Text message: 148 (14.8% of total)

Beach Boardwalk in Maryland

#12. Maryland- 14 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 872
-- Live voice: 304 (34.9% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 206 (23.6% of total)
-- Text message: 136 (15.6% of total)

Sunset views over Portland

#11. Oregon- 14 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 607
-- Live voice: 193 (31.8% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 221 (36.4% of total)
-- Text message: 69 (11.4% of total)

Seattle Skyline

#10. Washington- 14 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 1,128
-- Live voice: 375 (33.2% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 363 (32.2% of total)
-- Text message: 139 (12.3% of total)

Sunset skyline in Virginia

#9. Virginia- 15 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 1,284
-- Live voice: 417 (32.5% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 354 (27.6% of total)
-- Text message: 180 (14.0% of total)

Road in California

#8. California- 15 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 5,834
-- Live voice: 1893 (32.4% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 2081 (35.7% of total)
-- Text message: 561 (9.6% of total)

Small town in Alaska with snowcapped mountains

#7. Alaska- 15 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 110
-- Live voice: 29 (26.4% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 49 (44.5% of total)
-- Text message: 10 (9.1% of total)

Sunset Skyline in Massachusetts

#6. Massachusetts- 15 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 1,080
-- Live voice: 354 (32.8% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 455 (42.1% of total)
-- Text message: 62 (5.7% of total)

Drone view of Nevada

#5. Nevada- 18 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 563
-- Live voice: 222 (39.4% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 158 (28.1% of total)
-- Text message: 41 (7.3% of total)

Riverboat in Maine

#4. Maine- 18 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 255
-- Live voice: 123 (48.2% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 56 (22.0% of total)
-- Text message: 17 (6.7% of total)

Washington DC Sunset

#3. Washington DC- 20 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 134
-- Live voice: 33 (24.6% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 45 (33.6% of total)
-- Text message: 23 (17.2% of total)

Chicago Skyline

#2. Illinois- 20 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 2,512
-- Live voice: 964 (38.4% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 1003 (39.9% of total)
-- Text message: 161 (6.4% of total)

Denver Skyline

#1. Colorado- 22 spam calls reported for every 100,000 residents
- Total spam calls reported so far in 2023: 1,272
-- Live voice: 500 (39.3% of total)
-- Pre-recorded: 376 (29.6% of total)
-- Text message: 155 (12.2% of total)
 

Data reporting by Elena Cox. Story editing by Jeff Inglis. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Abigail Renaud.

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