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Texas ranks #2 in U.S. for Friday the 13th ‘bad luck’ odds, according to study

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Published  February 13, 2026 7:00am CST
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The Brief

    • Texas ranks second in the nation for "Bad Luck Odds" on Friday the 13th, trailing only California in superstition-driven search activity.
    • The ranking measures digital anxiety, tracking five years of spikes in search terms like "accident," "injury," and "unlucky" rather than actual recorded incidents.
    • The study suggests a regional divide in behavior, with Texas focused on caution while states like Massachusetts trend toward "Good Luck" and lottery searches.

AUSTIN, Texas - As Texas approaches the first Friday the 13th in 2026, Texas may feel ‘bad-luck’ in the air more than most.

Friday the 13th ‘bad-luck’ index

What we know:

A new ranking places Texas second in the nation for "Bad Luck Odds", tied with Friday the 13th. 

The ranking does not measure actual incidents of misfortune. Instead, it reflects where superstition-driven search activity increases the most when the date appears on the calendar. 

Courtesy: Canada Sports Betting (CSB)

This is based on research done by Canada Sports Betting (CSB) and how strongly residents react to the date in Google searches. CSB Researchers analyzed search interest in all 50 states for every Friday the 13th between 2020 and 2025, tracking spikes in terms such as "bad luck," "unlucky," "Friday the 13th bad luck," and accident-related fears. 

Texans 'unlucky' Google searches

What they're saying:

"Friday the 13th doesn’t change the actual odds," a CSB analyst said in a statement. "But in certain states, it clearly changes behavior."

Texas ranked No. 2 overall, with an implied bad-luck probability of 5.36%. California ranked first, followed by Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey to round out the top five.

According to the study, Texas consistently showed strong engagement around caution-driven themes, including searches related to "accident," "injury" and broader unlucky symbolism tied to the date. Researchers said the pattern repeated across multiple Friday the 13ths during a five-year period.

While the calendar date may stir superstition, the study suggests its biggest impact in Texas is on attention, not actual odds.

Courtesy: Canada Sports Betting (CSB)

Regions that defy superstition

The other side:

On the opposite end of the study, Massachusetts ranked first for "Good Luck Odds," followed by Maryland, Rhode Island, Kentucky and New Hampshire, states where searches related to lucky numbers and the lottery spiked the most.

Research methodology

By the numbers:

To compile the rankings, CSB researchers pulled Google Trends data for each state across every Friday the 13th from 2020 through 2025. Keywords were grouped into "Good Luck" and "Bad Luck" categories, averaged and ranked. The results were then scaled into implied probabilities, with the top state in each category set at 6%.

The Source: Information in this article was provided by Canada Sports Betting (CSB).

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