Rubbing a rabbit’s foot to bring good fortune, throwing salt over your shoulder to counteract bad luck, and fearing that your day may be ruined if a black cat crosses your path — these superstitions are still very much alive in the US. While there is a lack of scientific evidence to back up these beliefs, it seems that they still hold an important place in our culture.
Photo: Potawatomi Hotel and Casino
The Most Popular Superstition in All 50 States, Mapped
In order to prove their popularity across the states, the Potawatomi Hotel and Casino did targeted keyword research analyzing over 200 terms that have to do with good and bad luck and created a map to illustrate its findings.
Photo: Potawatomi Hotel and Casino
The most searched superstition in the US is that of throwing salt over your shoulder for good luck. This ritual is popular in a total of 17 states, including Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas,Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Second place goes to the searched phrase “bad luck comes in threes.” People in Vermont, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, and Wisconsin have the most interest in the meaning of why unfortunate events often come in a series.
The third place is a tie between the superstitions of the lucky rabbit’s foot and that of Friday the 13th. Washington, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Indiana stayed on the positive side looking into the meaning of a rabbit’s foot while Colorado, Virginia, Tennessee, and Minnesota were interested in the misfortunes associated with Friday the 13th.
The hotel surveyed 1,000 people in the US and found that 65 percent admit to being superstitious, 83 percent believe in good luck, and 50 percent think that bad luck is the real deal. There also seems to be weight given to the concept of certain days being lucky and some unlucky. The research illustrates that 37 percent of people think that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day while 34 percent believe St. Patrick’s Day brings good fortune. 