West Virginia, Ohio among states with high number of robocalls, spam messages

(NEXSTAR) – Whether it’s a call from an unknown number or a strange text about tracking a package, dealing with robocalls and message spam has become a regular part of owning a smartphone in the U.S. in 2025.

Just last year alone, Americans received roughly 53 billion robocalls, with the number of spam messages being even higher, according to PeopleFinders,

a data-as-a-service (DaaS) provider.

With these numbers seemingly increasing by the year, 51 of the U.S.’s 56 attorneys general have joined a multistate effort called Operation Robocall Roundup, led by the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force, in hopes of putting a stop to illegal robocalls.

The group has sent warning letters to 37 different voice providers directing them to comply with federal law and stop illegal robocalls from being routed through their networks.

The frequency of these calls has begun to rise more and more in small cities, in particular. Southfield, Michigan, with a population of just over 76,000 people, saw the largest year-over-year jump in robocalls in the country at 151%.

A state-by-state analysis appears to be on par with this as well. The state with the highest robocall complaint rate per capita is Delaware, with 885 complaints for every 100,000 people in the state, according to PeopleFinders.

Not far behind is Ohio with a complaint rate of 849, followed by Arizona with 819.

Here are the top five states with the highest robocall complaint rate in the U.S., according to PeopleFinders.

• Delaware – 885
• Ohio – 849
• Arizona – 813
• Illinois – 801
• North Carolina – 778

As for message spam, or “smishing,” it appears it’s happening in high volumes in states with much larger cities — states like California and Texas, in particular.

Other states have seen a significant rise in message spam and robocalls since 2023, including West Virginia, Florida, Arizona, and Oklahoma, according to PeopleFinders.