This Is What Scares People Most in Every State

These are the top phobias in the U.S., according to a new study.

We all have things that give us the creeps or bring on feelings of anxiety and despair. But a true phobia is a whole other level of fear. In fact, according to Harvard Health, a phobia is a type of an anxiety disorder defined as "a persistent, excessive, unrealistic fear of an object, person, animal, activity or situation." But what are the top phobias in the U.S., and how do they vary from one state to the next?

To find out, we consulted a recent study conducted by CBD company Area52. Using Google's Keyword tool, the study's researchers analyzed 49 fears, chosen from The Chapman University Survey of American Fears Wave 7 study. Those were then analyzed against Google Trends data to see which fear was searched for most in every state. Read on to discover the top phobias in the country and find out what scares people most in your state.

RELATED: This Is the Most Expensive Place to Buy a Home in Your State, Data Shows.

Alabama

Alabama
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Biggest fear: Death

The fear of death, or thanatophobia, is the fourth most common phobia in the U.S., according to the Area52 study. Including Alabama, it is the biggest fear in five U.S. states.

Alaska

cityscape photo of Alaska at sunset
A&J Fotos / Shutterstock

Biggest fear: Clusters of small holes

Trypophobia is the fear of irregular patterns of clusters of small holes. It is the top fear in a total of four U.S. states, including Alaska.

Arizona

cityscape photo of Tuscon, Arizon
Sean Pavone / iStock

Biggest fear: Death

Arizona is the second of four U.S. states where thanatophobia is the most common phobia, the Area52 study found.

Arkansas

Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA town skyline from above at dawn.
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Biggest fear: People

Anthropophobia is the fear of people. According to WebMD, "The National Institute of Mental Health does not use the term … Some researchers say it is the same as sociophobia, or social phobia, a fear of social gatherings."

Including Arkansas, the fear of people is the top phobia in six states, the Area52 study found.

California

California
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Biggest fear: People

With a population of nearly 40 million, it's no surprise that the fear of people is the top phobia in California. It is the second of six states on this list where that is the case.

RELATED: This State Has the Worst Traffic in the U.S., According to Data.

Colorado

skyline and mountains in Colorado Springs, Colorado at dusk
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Biggest fear: Being alone

On the opposite end of the spectrum from anthropophobia is monophobia, or the fear of being alone or isolated. It is also sometimes called autophobia. Including Colorado, it is the top phobia in eight states.

Connecticut

hartford connecticut skyline
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Biggest fear: Death

Connecticut is the third of five states—including Alabama and Arizona—where fear of death, or thanatophobia, is the top phobia.

Delaware

cityscape photo of Wilmington, Delaware
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Biggest fear: Vomit

Nobody likes throw-up, but did you know that there is an actual phobia dedicated to it? Well, there is, and it's called emetophobia. Delaware is one of two states where it is the biggest fear among residents.

Florida

Sunny Isles Beach Florida
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Biggest fear: Blood

We are all full of it, but that doesn't mean we like the sight of it. The fear of blood, or hemophobia, is a top phobia in Florida and four other states, according to the Area52 study.

Georgia

Macon, Georgia, USA downtown skyline.
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Biggest fear: Heights

Surprisingly, acrophobia, or the fear of heights—which most people would consider common—is only the top phobia in Georgia and one other state.

Hawaii

An aerial shot of downtown Honolulu, Hawaii from the water looking inland.
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Biggest fear: Clowns

If you've ever seen or read It, it's probably pretty clear why people have coulrophobia, or the fear of clowns. However, it is only the top phobia in three U.S. states, including Hawaii.

Idaho

cityscape photos of mountains, moving cars, buildings, and the state capitol in Boise, Idaho at sunset
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Biggest fear: Heights

Idaho, along with Georgia, is one of only two states where the fear of heights is the top phobia among residents.

Illinois

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Biggest fear: Needles

If you can't stand getting blood drawn or receiving a flu shot then you might have trypanophobia, better known as the fear of needles. According to the Area52 study, it is the top phobia in five states, including Illinois.

Indiana

Aerial View of Downtown Indianapolis Indiana State Capitol at Sunset
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Biggest fear: The dark

There is a reason people buy nightlights or fall asleep with the TV on. Fear of the dark, or nyctophobia, is the top phobia in Indiana and five other states.

Iowa

cityscape photo of buildings, a street, and statue from behind in downtown Des Moines, Iowa at dusk
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Biggest fear: The dark

Iowa is another Midwestern state where residents fear the absence of light more than anything else.

Kansas

Cityscape photo of Overland Park, Kansas
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Biggest fear: People

Kansas is the third of six states—including Arkansas and California—where people fear, well, people more than anything else.

Kentucky

louisville kentucky skyline
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Biggest fear: Clowns

Kentucky is the second of three states, including Hawaii, where it's tough to be a clown.

Louisiana

cityscape photo of buildings in New Orleans, Louisiana at night
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Biggest fear: The dark

Nyctophobia isn't limited to the Midwest. Louisiana is proof that the dark gives people in the South a fright, too.

Maine

The skyline of Portland, Maine
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Biggest fear: Being without a phone

If there was ever a fear to fit modern times, it has to be nomophobia, which is the fear of being without a phone. In fact, it's almost shocking that Maine is the only state in the country where this is the top phobia.

Maryland

baltimore skyline
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Biggest fear: Being alone

Maryland is another state that values human connection so much that being without it is the biggest fear among the state's residents.

Massachusetts

city skyline and fast moving traffic in Worcester, Massachusetts
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Biggest fear: Needles and blood

The two fears that tied for the top in Massachusetts sort of go hand in hand. People in this Northeastern state must really hate to have their blood work done.

Michigan

downtown Detroit Michigan
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Biggest fear: Blood

Michigan joins Florida, Massachusetts, and two other states on this list as the five places where blood was found to be the top phobia by the Area52 study.

Minnesota

Minnesota
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Biggest fear: The dark

Minnesota is yet another Midwestern state that likes the lights on. Like Indiana and Iowa, nyctophobia is the top phobia in the land of 10,000 lakes.

Mississippi

light house in biloxi, mississippi, dusk
Von Sean Pavone / Shutterstock

Biggest fear: Public speaking

The fear of public speaking, also known as glossophobia, is considered to be one of the most common phobias in the country. In fact, it's even been estimated to affect up to 75 percent of the population. However, according to the Area52 study, Mississippi is the only state in the country where it is the top phobia among residents.

Missouri

The skyline of St. Louis, Missouri
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Biggest fear: Being alone

Missouri joins Colorado, Maryland, and six other states where people fear being isolated from others more than anything else.

Montana

Montana
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Biggest fear: Spiders

While arachnophobia is one of the most common and recognized phobias in popular culture, Montana is the only state in the country where it is the top fear among residents, the Area52 study found.

RELATED: This Is How Many Types of Highly Venomous Spiders Are in Your State.

Nebraska

landscape photo of Halsey, Nebraska at sunrise
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Biggest fear: Death

Like people in Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, and one other state on this list, Nebraska residents fear dying more than anything else.

Nevada

Reno at sunrise
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Biggest fear: Being alone

There is something lonely about the idea of living in the desert, which helps explain why Nevada residents suffer from autophobia, or monophobia, more than any other of the 49 phobias examined in the Area52 study.

New Hampshire

Manchester is the largest city in the state of New Hampshire and the largest city in northern New England. Manchester is known for its industrial heritage, riverside mills, affordability, and arts & cultural destination.
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Biggest fear: Vomit

Just like its Northeastern neighbor Delaware, New Hampshire residents have a serious issue with regurgitation. The two states are the only ones in the country where the top phobia is emetophobia.

New Jersey

view of paterson, new jersey, near garret mountain reservation
quiggyt4 / Shutterstock

Biggest fear: Needles

Like Illinois, Massachusetts, and two other states on this list, the top phobia in New Jersey is trypanophobia, better known as the fear of needles.

New Mexico

Espanola, New Mexico
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Biggest fear: Confined spaces

People who suffer from claustrophobia are terrified of being in small, closely confined places. A crowded elevator stuck between floors, for example, would be less than ideal.

New York

city skyline and skyscrapers along the Hudson River in New York, New York at sunset
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Biggest fear: People

While it is home to one of the largest, most crowded cities in the entire world, not everyone in New York state can handle a bustling metropolis—which is why anthropophobia is the top fear among residents.

North Carolina

The skyline of Charlotte, North Carolina with fall foliage in the foreground
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Biggest fear: Death

North Carolina is the last of five states on this list where the study found the fear of death to be the top phobia among residents.

North Dakota

North Dakota
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Biggest fear: People

North Dakota isn't exactly a state known for its overly populated urban areas, which is probably a good thing given that the fear of people is the top phobia among residents.

Ohio

cleveland ohio skyline
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Biggest fear: The dark

Just like its Midwestern neighbors Indiana, Iowa, and Minnesota, Ohio's biggest fear is the dark, or nyctophobia.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
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Biggest fear: Blood

Oklahoma is the fourth of five states on this list where residents fear blood more than anything else, according to the Area52 study.

Oregon

The skyline of Portland, Oregon at dusk
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Biggest fear: Needles and the dark

In Oregon, needles and the dark tied for top phobia among the state's residents. The scientific names of those fears are again trypanophobia and nyctophobia, respectively.

Pennsylvania

philadelphia pennsylvania
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Biggest fear: People

People are what scare people in Pennsylvania, which shares the top phobia with Arkansas, California, Kansas, New York, and North Dakota.

Rhode Island

city skyline of and river in Providence, Rhode Island at sunset
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Biggest fear: Clusters of small holes

Trypophobia, as mentioned earlier in this list, is the fear of irregular patterns of clusters of small holes. It is the top fear in Rhode Island, Arkansas, and two other states on this list.

South Carolina

charleston south carolina skyline
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Biggest fear: Being alone

Loneliness is what is most unsettling to the people of South Carolina. Just like it is to the residents of Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, and three other states on this list.

South Dakota

aeriel view of houses in South Dakota
Hank Shiffman / Shutterstock

Biggest fear: Clusters of small holes

South Dakota is the fourth of five states on this list where the number one phobia is a fear of clusters of small holes, academically known as trypophobia.

Tennessee

knoxville tennessee skyline
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Biggest fear: Being alone

Tennessee is the sixth of eight states where people fear isolation more than anything else. Others include South Carolina, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, and two more states yet to be revealed.

Texas

city skyline of Dallas, Texas
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Biggest fear: Blood

The Lone Star State is the fifth and final state on this list where residents' biggest fear is blood, also known as hemophobia. The others are Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Oklahoma.

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Utah

park city utah skyline
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Biggest fear: Imperfection

Do you need everything to go exactly as planned or expect everything to be done perfectly? If so, you might have atelophobia, which is the fear of imperfection. Utah is the only state where it was found to be the top fear among residents.

Vermont

A view of Church Street in Burlington, Vermont
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Biggest fear: Feeling trapped or embarrassed

According to the Mayo Clinic, agoraphobia is "a type of anxiety disorder in which you fear and avoid places or situations that might cause you to panic and make you feel trapped, helpless or embarrassed." While Vermont is the only state where it was found to be the top fear, it was also the biggest phobia among residents of Washington D.C.

Virginia

city skyline in downtown Richmond, Virginia at dusk
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Biggest fear: Being alone

Virginia is the seventh of eight states where people fear being alone more than anything else. Others include Tennessee, South Carolina, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, and the next state on this list.

Washington

The skyline of Seattle, Washington
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Biggest fear: Being alone

As the eighth and final state on this list where fear of being alone is the top phobia among residents, Washington joins Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, and Nevada.

West Virginia

charleston west virginia skyline
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Biggest fear: Clowns

It's probably best not to break out the white face paint and squishy red nose when you're in West Virginia. As they do in Hawaii and Kentucky, clowns are what scare people most in the Appalachian state.

Wisconsin

the downtown area of Madison, Wisconsin at night
iStock

Biggest fear: Needles

In Wisconsin, people would rather do almost anything other than getting a shot at their next doctor visit. The fear of needles is also the top phobia in Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Oregon.

Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming
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Biggest fear: Clusters of small holes

Wyoming joins Arkansas, Rhode Island, and South Dakota as one of four states where trypophobia is the biggest fear among residents, the Area52 study found.

RELATED: This Is the Most Popular Beer in Your State, According to Data.

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