Films, literature, T.V series, video games, comics, art… almost every form of artistic expression of humankind seems to be announcing an imminent doomsday brought about by the undead. So, as it’s always better to be safe than sorry, we have determined which are the best states to survive a zombie apocalypse. I know that some of you are skeptical about the matter, but flesh-eating corpses rising from the dead are an issue of great concern for a big part of our country’s population. In fact, the living dead seem less of a fantasy when you realize that there are organizations like the Zombie Research Society, which are seriously dedicated to the scientific, cultural and historic study of zombies.
In compiling this list we resorted to a study carried out by a real estate website, Estately. In their research, they managed to rank all 50 states plus the District of Columbia according to their likelihood of survival should a zombie apocalypse take place. So, take The Walking Dead for example, AMC’s popular drama which is set in a post-apocalyptic America run over by zombies. This T.V series takes place in Georgia, a state that according to Estately’s research ranks 47th! Definitely not one of the best states to survive a zombie apocalypse, and a place you don’t want to be when the undead come for the contents of your skull. Although in real life, Rick Grimes would be probably dead, we still love watching him survive endlessly. If you are a fan of The Walking Dead, check out our list on the 10 Glaring Plot Holes in The Walking Dead that a Zombie-Filled Bus Could Drive Through.
I’m sure you are wondering how exactly Estately came up with their ranking of the states according to their zombie apocalypse preparedness. Well, believe it or not the analysis they carried out is really logical and detailed; as much as any research about the living dead could be. Basically, what they did was rank the 50 states using 11 metrics including fighting ability, physical fitness, access to weapons, survival skills, zombie knowledge and more. For each category, the scores used were per capita rankings. Finally, adding up every category, a total score was calculated for each state and the states ranked from the most likely to the least likely to survive a zombie attack (the lower the score, or combined rankings, the better).
Let’s take a look at the countdown and find out which are the best states to survive a zombie apocalypse, and whether you should consider relocating in the near future…
15. Iowa
Active Military Personnel: 46
Military Veterans: 30
Physically Active: 28
Martial Arts Enthusiasts: 18
People with Survival Skills: 14
People with Knowledge of Zombies: 21
Laser Tag Enthusiasts: 4
Gun Owners: 37
Obesity: 39
Paintball Enthusiasts: 1
Ironman Triathlon Enthusiasts: 6
Total: 244
14. Kansas
Active Military Personnel: 7
Military Veterans: 31
Physically Active: 26
Martial Arts Enthusiasts: 13
People with Survival Skills: 23
People with Knowledge of Zombies: 18
Laser Tag Enthusiasts: 23
Gun Owners: 23
Obesity: 41
Paintball Enthusiasts: 22
Ironman Triathlon Enthusiasts: 15
Total: 242
13. South Dakota
Active Military Personnel: 18
Military Veterans: 14
Physically Active: 24
Martial Arts Enthusiasts: 21
People with Survival Skills: 9
People with Knowledge of Zombies: 15
Laser Tag Enthusiasts: 36
Gun Owners: 7
Obesity: 28
Paintball Enthusiasts: 34
Ironman Triathlon Enthusiasts: 29
Total: 235
12. West Virginia
Active Military Personnel: 39
Military Veterans: 4
Physically Active: 50
Martial Arts Enthusiasts: 3
People with Survival Skills: 7
People with Knowledge of Zombies: 2
Laser Tag Enthusiasts: 30
Gun Owners: 3
Obesity: 47
Paintball Enthusiasts: 26
Ironman Triathlon Enthusiasts: 21
Total: 232
11. Utah
Active Military Personnel: 32
Military Veterans: 49
Physically Active: 2
Martial Arts Enthusiasts: 43
People with Survival Skills: 16
People with Knowledge of Zombies: 20
Laser Tag Enthusiasts: 2
Gun Owners: 18
Obesity: 8
Paintball Enthusiasts: 28
Ironman Triathlon Enthusiasts: 13
Total: 231
10. Wisconsin
Active Military Personnel: 49
Military Veterans: 34
Physically Active: 14
Martial Arts Enthusiasts: 28
People with Survival Skills: 10
People with Knowledge of Zombies: 26
Laser Tag Enthusiasts: 1
Gun Owners: 14
Obesity: 37
Paintball Enthusiasts: 10
Ironman Triathlon Enthusiasts: 3
Total: 226
9. New Hampshire
Active Military Personnel: 43
Military Veterans: 7
Physically Active: 12
Martial Arts Enthusiasts: 42
People with Survival Skills: 13
People with Knowledge of Zombies: 25
Laser Tag Enthusiasts: 37
Gun Owners: 8
Obesity: 23
Paintball Enthusiasts: 2
Ironman Triathlon Enthusiasts: 12
Total: 224
8. Nevada
Active Military Personnel: 22
Military Veterans: 16
Physically Active: 19
Martial Arts Enthusiasts: 7
People with Survival Skills: 43
People with Knowledge of Zombies: 14
Laser Tag Enthusiasts: 7
Gun Owners: 35
Obesity: 18
Paintball Enthusiasts: 31
Ironman Triathlon Enthusiasts: 7
Total: 219
7. Arizona
Active Military Personnel: 25
Military Veterans: 22
Physically Active: 23
Martial Arts Enthusiasts: 4
People with Survival Skills: 36
People with Knowledge of Zombies: 5
Laser Tag Enthusiasts: 5
Gun Owners: 36
Obesity: 17
Paintball Enthusiasts: 23
Ironman Triathlon Enthusiasts: 5
Total: 201
6. Montana
Active Military Personnel: 23
Military Veterans: 3
Physically Active: 15
Martial Arts Enthusiasts: 51
People with Survival Skills: 1
People with Knowledge of Zombies: 23
Laser Tag Enthusiasts: 28
Gun Owners: 2
Obesity: 7
Paintball Enthusiasts: 4
Ironman Triathlon Enthusiasts: 33
Total: 190
5. New Mexico
Active Military Personnel: 15
Military Veterans: 10
Physically Active: 21
Martial Arts Enthusiasts: 1
People with Survival Skills: 32
People with Knowledge of Zombies: 1
Laser Tag Enthusiasts: 26
Gun Owners: 27
Obesity: 22
Paintball Enthusiasts: 15
Ironman Triathlon Enthusiasts: 1
Total: 171
4. Idaho
Active Military Personnel: 26
Military Veterans: 24
Physically Active: 13
Martial Arts Enthusiasts: 33
People with Survival Skills: 4
People with Knowledge of Zombies: 17
Laser Tag Enthusiasts: 3
Gun Owners: 12
Obesity: 19
Paintball Enthusiasts: 6
Ironman Triathlon Enthusiasts: 10
Total: 167
3. Colorado
Active Military Personnel: 11
Military Veterans: 26
Physically Active: 3
Martial Arts Enthusiasts: 16
People with Survival Skills: 24
People with Knowledge of Zombies: 10
Laser Tag Enthusiasts: 6
Gun Owners: 19
Obesity: 1
Paintball Enthusiasts: 9
Ironman Triathlon Enthusiasts: 19
Total: 144
2. Wyoming
Active Military Personnel: 13
Military Veterans: 6
Physically Active: 18
Martial Arts Enthusiasts: 23
People with Survival Skills: 2
People with Knowledge of Zombies: 3
Laser Tag Enthusiasts: 33
Gun Owners: 6
Obesity: 10
Paintball Enthusiasts: 11
Ironman Triathlon Enthusiasts: 11
Total: 136
1. Alaska
Active Military Personnel: 1
Military Veterans: 2
Physically Active: 8
Martial Arts Enthusiasts: 9
People with Survival Skills: 5
People with Knowledge of Zombies: 7
Laser Tag Enthusiasts: 14
Gun Owners: 5
Obesity: 14
Paintball Enthusiasts: 13
Ironman Triathlon Enthusiasts: 37
Total: 115
