Arizona is the most nudist-friendly state in America in 2026, with 104.28 True Nudists members per 100,000 residents and 34 clothing-optional venues, followed by Oregon and Florida. This study ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia by two per-capita measures: how many nudists live there, and how many places they have to go.
Methodology
We used three public datasets, all collected on October 21, 2026.
- Members by state. The members by state page lists how many True Nudists members give each state as their home. We kept the 50 states and DC by full name: 200,187 members. Profiles that gave a city, an abbreviation such as "FL", or nothing usable were left out.
- Venues by state. The US locations directory lists 611 nude beaches, naturist resorts, hot springs, campgrounds, clubs and trails across 34 states. We counted every listing and recorded its type.
- Population. US Census Bureau Vintage 2024 state estimates (340,110,988 people across the 51 areas).
From those we computed members per 100,000 residents and venues per 1,000,000 residents. The index is simple: rank the 51 areas on each measure, average the two ranks, then rescale so a state that is first on both scores 100 and a state that is last on both scores 0. Nationally the community runs at 58.86 members per 100,000 residents and 1.80 venues per million.
Two honest caveats. These are members who list that state and venues that are listed in the directory, not a census of how many Americans practice naturism. And member-generated location data is uneven: a state with a strong local naturist association tends to have more listings than a state where nudists simply drive to the next state's beach.
The top 10 nudist-friendly states
| Rank | State | Members per 100k | Venues per 1M | Beaches | Resorts | Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | 104.28 | 4.48 | 1 | 15 | 96.0 |
| 2 | Oregon | 80.12 | 6.79 | 5 | 5 | 95.0 |
| 3 | Florida | 86.92 | 3.38 | 10 | 40 | 92.0 |
| 4 | California | 69.40 | 2.99 | 37 | 32 | 86.0 |
| 5 | Colorado | 64.79 | 3.02 | 0 | 2 | 85.0 |
| 6 | Washington | 61.95 | 3.64 | 9 | 8 | 85.0 |
| 7 | Nevada | 67.39 | 1.84 | 1 | 1 | 81.0 |
| 8 | New York | 79.31 | 1.41 | 7 | 11 | 76.0 |
| 9 | Georgia | 63.03 | 1.61 | 1 | 9 | 73.0 |
| 10 | Utah | 60.14 | 1.71 | 0 | 1 | 73.0 |
Venues per million counts every listing type. The Beaches and Resorts columns are raw counts of the two types most people travel for; the rest of a state's listings are hot springs, campgrounds, non-landed clubs, trails and spas.
What the numbers say
Arizona, not Florida, is the per-capita capital
Florida has two and a half times as many members as Arizona (20,316 against 7,907) and the most naturist resorts in the country: 40 of the 252 listed nationally. But Arizona's 7,907 members live among 7.58 million people, which puts it at 104.28 per 100,000, well clear of Florida's 86.92 and Oregon's 80.12. Add 15 resorts and 34 venues in all, and the desert state takes first place. Phoenix alone has 2,739 members, the eighth-largest city total in the country. Browse Arizona's clothing-optional spots or Florida's nude beaches.
The West Coast is where the beaches are
California lists 37 of the 108 nude beaches in the directory, more than the next four states combined (Florida 10, Hawaii 9, Washington 9, New York 7). It also lists 32 resorts and 19 hot springs, for 118 venues, the most of any state. What keeps California at fourth rather than first is population: 27,367 members across 39.4 million residents is 69.40 per 100,000. Oregon, with an eighth of California's members but 29 venues for 4.27 million people (6.79 per million, the third-highest density), lands second. See California nude beaches and Oregon's beaches.
Four states hold 40 percent of the community
California, Florida, Texas and New York account for 81,301 members, 40.6 percent of the US total. Texas is the surprise absentee from the top ten: 17,861 members is the third-largest total, but at 57.08 per 100,000 and only 36 venues for 31.3 million people (1.15 per million) it finishes 15th. Illinois is similar, with 7,704 members (60.61 per 100,000) but just 8 venues and a 23rd-place finish.
Small states with big directories
Vermont has the highest venue density in the country: 12 listings (5 beaches, 5 resorts) for 648,493 people is 18.50 per million, more than ten times the national rate. Its 244 members (37.63 per 100,000) hold it to 25th overall. Hawaii is the same story: 19 venues, including 9 beaches, give it 13.14 per million, second in the nation, while 674 members put it 13th overall. Both are destinations more than communities, which is exactly what visitors want to know. See Hawaii's beaches.
Members without venues
The District of Columbia has the highest member density anywhere, 170.88 per 100,000, and not a single listed venue, which leaves it 21st. Alaska (69.31 per 100,000, 0 venues) and Delaware (60.08, 0 venues) share the problem. In total, 17 states have no venue in the directory at all, and every one of the bottom ten is on that list.
The bottom 10
- New Mexico: 43.75 members per 100,000, no listed venues, index 23.0
- Kentucky: 42.26, no venues, 22.0
- Rhode Island: 41.27, no venues, 21.0
- Arkansas: 40.67, no venues, 19.0
- Wyoming: 39.99, no venues, 18.0
- Iowa: 39.52, no venues, 16.0
- North Dakota: 33.52, no venues, 11.5
- West Virginia: 31.58, no venues, 10.0
- South Dakota: 31.25, no venues, 9.0
- Mississippi: 30.21, no venues, 8.0
Even the last-placed state is not empty. Mississippi has 889 members, and every one of the bottom ten is above 30 members per 100,000 residents. What they lack is a listed beach, resort or club, and the quickest way for any of them to climb this table is a member adding one to the directory.
The biggest nudist cities
Members also list a city. The 15 largest city totals add up to 47,380 members, 23.7 percent of the national figure. New York City (8,488, combining profiles that wrote "New York" and "New York City") is first, then Los Angeles (6,552), Chicago (4,132), Dallas (4,004), Miami (3,296), Atlanta (3,200), Houston (3,109), Phoenix (2,739), San Diego (1,859), Orlando (1,841), Seattle (1,793), Austin (1,780), Denver (1,723), Tampa (1,434) and San Francisco (1,430).
What the directory is made of
Of the 611 US venues, 252 (41.2 percent) are resorts, 108 (17.7 percent) are beaches, 104 are naturist organizations and non-landed clubs, 50 are hot springs and 49 are campgrounds; the remainder are trails, spas and outdoor spots. Colorado's fifth place rests almost entirely on hot springs: 10 of its 18 listings are springs, and it has no beach at all. If you are choosing a first beach, our nude beach etiquette guide covers what to expect once you arrive, and the nude beach directory lists every beach by state and country.
How to cite this study
Source: True Nudists member data, October 2026, 200,187 members across 50 states and the District of Columbia, and 611 directory listings in 34 states; population: US Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates. Journalists and researchers are welcome to reuse the table with a link to this page. Member counts are self-reported home states, and venue counts are directory listings on the collection date; neither is a measure of how many people in a state practice naturism.