Which U.S. cities report the most spam calls per capita?

Diane Balogh profile image September 5, 2024 | 4 min read

Four billion! According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), that’s about how many robocalls U.S. consumers receive every month. Do certain cities in the U.S. report more spam calls than others? The Ooma team used data from the FCC’s Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division to determine which of the 200 largest U.S. cities have filed the most spam call complaints per 1,000 people. Is your city among the top 50?

Which U.S. cities file the most spam call complaints per capita? - Ooma.com - Infographic

What U.S. city files the most spam call complaints?

The city with the highest rate of spam call complaints is Alexandria, Virginia. Between 2014 and 2024, 3,552 people from Alexandria made informal complaints about spam calls to the FCC. This amounts to a rate of 22.84 spam call complaints per 1,000 people for the city of 155,525 people. A quick Google search of “Alexandria, VA” and “spam calls” shows that the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office has posted numerous warnings over the past several years about scam callers posing as law enforcement. This is just one of the many unlawful methods spammers use to take advantage of their victims.

The 10 cities with the most spam call complaints per 1,000 people

  1. Alexandria, Virginia: 22.84
  2. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: 18.75
  3. Orlando, Florida: 18.52
  4. Miami, Florida: 17.58
  5. Atlanta, Georgia: 16.39
  6. Las Vegas, Nevada: 16.12
  7. Knoxville, Tennessee: 15.18
  8. Plano, Texas: 14.91
  9. Washington, District of Columbia: 14.46
  10. Columbia, South Carolina: 14.44

How to block spam calls

There are several ways to block spam calls from reaching your phone number. One way is to register your home or mobile phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry, although it can take up to 31 days to go into effect and block spam calls. You can also look into built-in features on your phone that can be used to block unwanted calls from specific numbers. Another method is through call blocking and labeling tools that are used by phone companies to stop illegal and unwanted calls from getting through to your phone. Many phone companies proactively block suspicious calls, but customers can block additional spam calls by enrolling in a service or through an app. The FCC created a resource list of spam call blocking and labeling tools available for a variety of wireless, landline and VoIP phone services.

How to report spam calls

Millions of spam calls are made to Americans every day. The best way to help organizations trying to combat illegal robocalls is to report them to the proper channels. One of the FCC’s top consumer protection priorities is stopping spam calls; they are the best outlet to report a spam call and the number it was made from. If you believe that you have received an illegal spam call or text, or if you have been the victim of a spoofing scam, reach out and file a complaint with the FCC. Every complaint made provides valuable information that can be used to potentially enforce action against those violating the FCC’s rules. Between October 31, 2014 and May 12, 2024, there were 2.88 million consumer complaints regarding spam calls reported to the Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division.

The National Do Not Call Registry is another avenue that can be used to report scam calls. If you add your number to the Do Not Call Registry, you can report unwanted calls after the initial 31-day period. Any calls that use a recorded message instead of a live person can be reported, as well as if a debt collector is not respecting your rights.

Ooma customers get even more protection. Whether you conduct your business using our virtual phone system for small businesses, or you have our Ooma Basic home phone plan, rest assured that our suspected spammer call blocking function can help screen your home and business from spam calls. Suspected spammer call blocking identifies and blocks telemarketers, robocalls and phone spammers by utilizing the Nomorobo third-party database. This spam-blocking feature helps prevent over 800,000 known sources of phone spam from reaching you!

The complete list of the 50 U.S. cities that report the most spam call complaints per capita

Rank

City

Number of Complaints about
Spam Calls (2014-2024)

Spam Call Complaints
per 1,000 people

1

Alexandria, VA

3,552

22.84

2

Pittsburgh, PA

5,680

18.75

3

Orlando, FL

5,855

18.52

4

Miami, FL

7,901

17.58

5

Atlanta, GA

8,183

16.39

6

Las Vegas, NV

10,576

16.12

7

Knoxville, TN

2,974

15.18

8

Plano, TX

4,318

14.91

9

Washington, DC

9,711

14.46

10

Columbia, SC

2,017

14.44

11

Tampa, FL

5,669

14.24

12

Cincinnati, OH

4,390

14.18

13

Rochester, NY

2,931

14.00

14

Vancouver, WA

2,588

13.31

15

Gainesville, FL

1,904

13.11

16

Baton Rouge, LA

2,808

12.68

17

Scottsdale, AZ

3,071

12.64

18

Salt Lake City, UT

2,583

12.62

19

San Francisco, CA

10,002

12.37

20

Fort Collins, CO

2,079

12.28

21

Richmond, VA

2,809

12.25

22

Raleigh, NC

5,750

12.06

23

Seattle, WA

8,882

11.85

24

Portland, OR

7,423

11.69

25

Long Beach, CA

5,264

11.66

26

San Diego, CA

15,655

11.33

27

Tucson, AZ

6,172

11.29

28

Henderson, NV

3,632

10.96

29

Cary, NC

1,941

10.76

30

Santa Rosa, CA

1,891

10.67

31

Reno, NV

2,914

10.66

32

Glendale, AZ

2,671

10.59

33

Spokane, WA

2,428

10.55

34

Tallahassee, FL

2,115

10.48

35

Birmingham, AL

2,053

10.43

36

Huntington Beach, CA

1,997

10.28

37

Denver, CO

7,261

10.18

38

Austin, TX

9,693

9.95

39

Boise, ID

2,348

9.92

40

Lakewood, NJ

1,373

9.84

41

Murfreesboro, TN

1,555

9.58

42

Colorado Springs, CO

4,643

9.55

43

Springfield, MO

1,616

9.50

44

Bellevue, WA

1,440

9.43

45

Fort Lauderdale, FL

1,700

9.28

46

St. Louis, MO

2,656

9.27

47

Baltimore, MD

5,259

9.23

48

Sacramento, CA

4,834

9.16

49

Grand Rapids, MI

1,795

9.12

50

Minneapolis, MN

3,867

9.10

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