It is a common species along the Atlantic coast of the United States, where it is the only species of ghost crab;[2] its range of distribution extends from its northernmost reach on beaches in Westport, Massachusetts, south along the coasts of the tropical Western Atlantic Ocean to the beach of Barra do Chui, in Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil.

[2] Atlantic ghost crabs are found from Santa Catarina north to Massachusetts, USA.

They have been recorded in Block Island, Rhode Island, Nantucket, Massachusetts, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, Delaware beaches, northern Virginia beaches, the Outer Banks of North Carolina to Santa Catarina, Brazil, on Fernando de Noronha, and Bermuda.

[6][further explanation needed] Ghost crabs are arguably the fastest terrestrial invertebrates, capable of running at more than a meter per second.

[10] Ghost crabs are negatively impacted by human and vehicle trampling, which results in direct crushing of crabs, as well as indirect damage such as compression of sediment which reduces habitat suitability, interference with reproductive behaviors, reduction in food supply, and light pollution.