Friday the 13th doesn’t change reality — but it does change what people look up. We tracked how strongly each U.S. state searches for “good luck” vs. “bad luck” themes when the date hits, then turned those patterns into easy-to-compare implied odds.
Some people search for opportunity — “lucky numbers,” “lottery tickets,” “good luck rituals.” Others search for caution — “bad luck,” “Friday the 13th superstition,” or accident-related fears. When you combine those searches, a clear pattern shows up by state.
The Friday the 13th Luck Odds Index ranks U.S. states based on search volume for lucky and unlucky themes on Friday the 13th. Using Google Trends data from every Friday the 13th between 2020 and 2025, we calculated the average search intensity for both categories in each state.
We then converted that search activity into implied “odds” of good or bad luck — based purely on how strongly residents search for those themes compared with other states. These odds are not real-world probability. They’re a signal of superstition-driven attention.
Key Findings
- Massachusetts ranks #1 for Good Luck searches, followed by Maryland and Rhode Island. Kentucky and New Hampshire round out the top five.
- California leads the country for Bad Luck searches, with Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey close behind.
- A handful of states — including Massachusetts and North Carolina — appear in both top 10 lists, signaling consistently high superstition-driven interest.
- Canada shows the same “luck culture” effect: 64% of Canadians say they believe in luck, and past Canadian rankings often place the Yukon and Ontario near the top.
The takeaway: Friday the 13th doesn’t change the odds — but in certain places, it clearly changes behavior.
Interactive map
This map visualizes the Bad Luck side of the index by state (higher shading = stronger bad-luck search intensity).
Top 10 U.S. States by Bad Luck Odds (2026)
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1) CaliforniaCalifornia ranks #1 for Friday the 13th misfortune signals. The state shows the strongest relative spike in searches tied to “bad luck,” “Friday the 13th superstition,” “unlucky,” and accident-related concerns — higher than anywhere else in the country.6.00% Implied Bad Luck Probability
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2) TexasTexas follows closely behind, with strong engagement around caution-driven themes including “accident,” “injury,” and broader unlucky symbolism tied to the date. The pattern repeats consistently across multiple Friday the 13ths.5.36% Implied Bad Luck Probability
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3) FloridaFlorida ranks third, driven by elevated interest in phrases such as “bad omen,” “Friday the 13th bad luck,” and accident-related fears. Engagement trends higher here than in most other large states.4.87% Implied Bad Luck Probability
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4) PennsylvaniaPennsylvania’s ranking is fueled by steady, repeat spikes in searches related to “unlucky day” and Friday the 13th meaning. Compared with neighboring states, interest in misfortune-related language is notably stronger.4.73% Implied Bad Luck Probability
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5) New JerseyNew Jersey rounds out the top five. Searches tied to unlucky symbolism and accident concerns trend consistently above national averages when the date appears.4.66% Implied Bad Luck Probability
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6) MassachusettsImplied Bad Luck Probability: 4.45%
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7) OhioImplied Bad Luck Probability: 4.34%
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8) ConnecticutImplied Bad Luck Probability: 4.27%
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9) North CarolinaImplied Bad Luck Probability: 4.27%
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10) VirginiaImplied Bad Luck Probability: 4.23%
Top 5 U.S. States by Good Luck Odds (2026)
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1) MassachusettsStrong “opportunity” searches like “lucky numbers,” “lottery,” “good luck,” and “winning numbers.”6.00% Implied Good Luck Probability
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2) MarylandConsistent spikes for lottery-related and positive superstition searches during Friday the 13th periods.5.91% Implied Good Luck Probability
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3) Rhode IslandElevated interest in lucky-number searches, lottery terms, and optimism-driven queries.5.90% Implied Good Luck Probability
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4) KentuckyConsistent Friday the 13th spikes tied to “good luck” rituals and jackpot-related terms.5.74% Implied Good Luck Probability
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5) New HampshireSustained interest in positive superstition language and lottery-focused searches when the date appears.5.69% Implied Good Luck Probability
Canada mini-ranking (context)
This index is U.S.-only, but “luck” interest is measurable in Canada too. Based on a separate Canadian ranking of luck-related quality-of-life indicators (not Friday the 13th searches), the following regions/provinces were highlighted:
“Luckiest” (Canada)
- Yukon
- Ontario
- British Columbia
“Least lucky” (Canada)
- Nunavut
What the Data Shows
California ranks highest for Bad Luck search intensity with an implied probability of 6.00%, while Massachusetts leads for Good Luck at the same 6.00% level. States like Texas and Florida lean more toward caution-driven searches, while parts of the Northeast show stronger optimism-focused interest.
These figures don’t measure real-world luck. They reflect search behavior — where superstition consistently spikes more than elsewhere. Friday the 13th doesn’t change the odds, but the data shows it changes attention.
How the Friday the 13th Luck Odds Index Was Built
We pulled Google Trends search interest for each U.S. state across every Friday the 13th from 2020 to 2025. We grouped keywords into two buckets (Good Luck vs. Bad Luck), averaged the results, ranked states, then scaled them into implied probabilities so the top state in each category equals 6.00%.
Related reading
Does Friday the 13th change behavior? See which states search most for lucky numbers and bad luck — ranked by implied odds from 2020–2025 data.