Whether you’re aware of it or not, there’s always that one neighbor who’s always watching — monitoring who’s coming and going, noticing any HOA violation, and even knowing a little too much about your personal life. Whether innocently observing from their porch or constantly striking up casual conversations, nosy neighbors are common residents of communities all across America.
While some neighbors may be casually curious, others are more intense about their neighborhood knowledge, and even go to extreme measures to get information. As data recovery specialists, we know just how sensitive personal information can be, so we were curious to find out more about what nosy neighbors tend to know, how they get info about you, and where in America they’re more likely to be found.
To find out, we surveyed 2,390 people across America about their experiences with nosy neighbors and how they’ve dealt with them. From neighbors showing up unannounced to being asked inappropriate questions, read on to find out where the nosiest neighbors in America live!
Key Findings:
- Virginia, Kansas, and Missouri have the nosiest neighbors.
- 81% have had a nosy neighbor.
- Almost half of Americans have researched their neighbor's home values.
- 48% have changed their daily routine to avoid running into their neighbor.
- 37% say nosy neighbors keep the neighborhood safe.
The States with the Nosiest Neighbors
Depending on how close you live to your neighbors, you can quickly start to pick up personal information about them by default. For example, if you live in an apartment, you may hear your neighbor's comings and goings so often that you learn their schedule, hear arguments through thin walls, or notice their frequent visitors.
If you live in a neighborhood, you may see your neighbor's garage showcasing a flag of their preferred sports team, balloons on their mailbox indicating it’s someone’s birthday, or notice their fitness level by how often you see them out jogging. While it’s natural to pick up some personal information about your neighbors just by living next to them, some neighbors pry for additional insights about your life.
Whether it’s asking you directly about your personal life or striking up a conversation about things they’ve found out about other neighbors, some people are more naturally curious about their neighbor's lives than others. In fact, 81% of Americans say they’ve had a nosy neighbor.
The states with the nosiest neighbors are Virginia, Kansas, and Missouri. In these states, people report having experienced nosy behavior from their neighbors the most and admit to participating in nosy behavior themselves. Whether it’s out of pure curiosity, safety, or other reasons, people often feel the need to learn information about those living around them. Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire are the states with the least nosy neighbors.
The U.S. Cities with the Nosiest Neighbors
In big cities, neighbors often live in close proximity to one another, making nosy neighbors seem like an unavoidable part of urban living. However, the nosiness of your neighbors can depend on the city you live in.
The top cities with the nosiest neighbors are Indianapolis, Seattle, and Columbus. In these cities, you’re more likely to have neighbors who know a lot more about you than you probably think. While anyone can be a nosy neighbor, people have experienced more women being nosy neighbors than men.
Although we can’t control who moves in next to us or what they learn about us, we can do our best to limit the information they have access to. Nearly half, 48%, have changed their daily routine to avoid running into their neighbor.
However, just because your neighbor may not physically see you, they can still pick up a lot of information by looking outside their window or taking a peek at their security cameras. On the bright side, nosy neighbors may limit the crimes in the neighborhood, as 37% say they think these curious neighbors keep the neighborhood safe.
Top Things Nosy Neighbors Do
For nosy neighbors, there is rarely a limit to the things they’ll do to obtain information. While some of their methods may come off as borderline criminal, nosy neighbors will not only gather intel from you directly, but they’ll also outsource their questions to other neighbors, and even monitor you without your knowledge. For example, over two-thirds have seen their neighbor staring at them from afar.
The top nosy actions people have experienced from their neighbors are them asking a lot of questions, staring at them from afar, and gossiping with them about other neighbors. When stuck in a conversation with a curious neighbor, the most common things they ask about are your occupation, relationship status, and your kids — if you have any.
While many people have experienced nosy actions from their neighbors, many of those same people have done their fair share of lurking. The top nosy actions people admit to doing to their neighbors are staring at them from afar, peeking over their fence or in their home, and looking them up on LinkedIn. This goes to show that despite being overwhelmed with nosy neighbors, it’s common to be curious about the lives of those around us.
How Americans Deal with Nosy Neighbors
It’s unsettling to know that people are obtaining your private information, without you even knowing, and it can be especially concerning if you catch them in the act. While it might be awkward to acknowledge overbearing behaviors from your neighbor, almost two in five have had to confront their nosy neighbors about their actions. Some have even had to remove themselves from the situation entirely, as over one in five have moved away because of a nosy neighbor.
While ideally, you would like to live next to neighbors who respect each other’s privacy, many people across the country have had to take steps to set boundaries with their neighbors. The top ways people deal with their nosy neighbors are by putting up or closing their curtains to block their view, confronting them, and putting up security cameras.
What Nosy Neighbors Know About You
Sometimes, a neighbor can learn private information about you, by simple observation from living next to you. The top information that people learn about their neighbors through observation and word of mouth is their relationship status, occupation, and political views. Along with personal information, 28% say they know their neighbor’s habits.
With the help of technology, neighbors can get more information about you beyond relying on physical observation or intel from other neighbors. One simple search on the internet can lead them to find out more about your history than you’re willing to share. This is why it’s important to make sure you’ve done your own research and removed any private information you’d like to keep private, off of the internet.
The top things that your neighbor has probably researched about you online is your home value, social media accounts, and your home listing photos. Neighbors are especially curious about your physical home, as almost half of Americans have researched their neighbor’s home value, and almost one in five have taken a virtual tour of their neighbor’s home. Beyond your home, neighbors are also particularly interested in your professional life, since almost one in six have looked up their neighbor on LinkedIn.
Protecting Your Privacy with Secure Data Recovery
While nosy neighbors can be hard to avoid, you can limit the information they’re able to obtain. From being cautious about the information you give out during casual conversations to closing your curtains regularly, small changes can make a big difference in maintaining your privacy. The same goes for protecting your digital life.
With data breaches and privacy invasions commonly occurring, it’s important to feel confident about your security both on and offline. Just as it can feel unsettling to know your neighbor has been borderline spying on you, falling victim to a cyberattack can be just as concerning. Both cases can leave you feeling exposed and violated.
If you ever find yourself in the unfortunate situation of having your personal privacy exposed through compromised data, our team at Secure Data Recovery can help. From phone data recovery, to hard drive recovery, and RAID data recovery, we’ve helped thousands get their lost data back. Contact us today to get your free quote started and recover your lost files.
Methodology
In December 2024, we surveyed 2,390 Americans about their experience with nosy neighbors. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 76 years old, and were 50% female, 49% male, and 1% nonbinary.
To assess the "nosiness" score for each state, we developed a set of survey questions aimed at evaluating respondents' perceptions of their neighbors' behavior. These questions included items such as: "Which of the following actions has your nosy neighbor taken?" and "On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate the nosiness of your neighbor?" Each response was then assigned a point value. The total score for each respondent was calculated by summing the points from their answers. Finally, the average score for each state was determined to obtain a representative measure of the general level of perceived noisiness within that state.
