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Its happened. Its 28 Days Later, Night of the Living Dead, and The Walking Dead. Take your pick of any one of the other countless zombie apocalypse movies as your reference point, but lets say its happened and now you need to find the safest states in a zombie apocalypse to migrate to.

There are, of course, studies on this topic, but theyre flawed. Were going to look at why theyre flawed and then Im going to go into the details of my own study on this topic and go through the results that I find.

By the time youre done reading this article, youll have an understanding of my logic and Id appreciate it if you left a comment letting me know where your state ranked in my analysis and what if any criteria you think I should have included that I left out.

Alternatively, if youd rather watch than read, see my latest YouTube video on this very subject. Other Studies

Could a zombie apocalypse really happen? Its a reasonable question, but its a question that has different meanings depending on whos posing the question. Fans of zombie fiction post the question as a make believe, hypothetical imagination of a post-collapse world. Preppers, on the other hand, they often speak of the zombie apocalypse as a means to describe any type of situation where the collapse happens and everyone is fighting each other for survival. Its a safer way to describe what might one day come.

When people talk about the safest states in a zombie apocalypse, theyre often using criteria for the former, reanimated humans. The undead. That said, what makes one state safer in a zombie apocalypse also makes a state safer in a more real world collapse situation. A zombie reading zombie fiction.

Google best states for a zombie apocalypse and youll get a few results, most of which reference each other. There are a few problems with their analyses. For starters, theyre not studies performed by real preppers, so they just throw criteria at the study without really thinking it through.

The reason that they even do these studies is because their articles are whats called link magnets. Link magnets are articles that they hope other sites will link to. When that happens, it gives Google algorithm credibility to the site, making their sites rank higher in search results. And for them, it works. Unfortunately, theyre not reliable sources on this subject at all. CableTV

One of those studies is from the website Cable TV. Think about it, do you want to get your zombie apocalypse advice from CableTV.com?

You only need to look at their results to find out why their study is so flawed. Any prepper knows, California is about the WORST state in the nation to be in if you want to survive the apocalypse. If anything, the apocalypse will probably START in California.

Among the other worst states on their list include Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Look, if youre going to call my home state of Maine out for anything, youd better know what youre talking about. California is a safer state to be in than Maine during a zombie apocalypse? Pfffft!

What exactly is their logic based on?

To find out where the best place to survive a zombie apocalypse was, we looked at the population density in each state, the gross receipts of farms per capita, and the states electricity percentage from solar. https://www.cabletv.com/horror/doomsday-usa

I can get behind using population density as a metric, but there are problems with using gross receipts of farms per capita and the states use of solar power. The problem with using gross receipts of farms per capita, and thats probably a big reason why they listed North Dakota as the safest, is because this favors massive farming states where gigantic, industrial scale farms plant single-season crops of one, maybe two types, and rely on RoundUp or other pesticides and commercial fertilizers to make the crops grow.

What happens when the seasons seeds dont get delivered? What happens when RoundUp doesnt roll out?

Give these farms one season without being resupplied with seeds and chemicals and the farms are done. No new seeds to plant. No fertilizer to spread. No fuel to run their massive farm equipment. No pesticides to kill insects. There are not nearly enough people in these states to farm those same lands by hand even if they could. They might be able to process enough food for themselves, but so will people in other states. Being in a large-scale farmland state doesnt offer you an inherent advantage over some other state OTHER THAN that you have low population density, which well account for separately.

Similarly, what does it matter if a state gets a lot of its power from solar? For a zombie apocalypse, it doesnt matter at all. The entire grid is going to go down. Replacement parts, skilled workers, that grid isnt going to come back up for a long time, it doesnt matter the source. And if energy resources did matter, better to favor states that have coal resources like Wyoming, West Virginia, or Pennsylvania. Or maybe the most-forested states, like Vermont, New Hampshire, and the most forested state of all Maine! Lawn Love

Another one of the top results is from a site called Lawn Love whose study covers the best cities in a zombie apocalypse. Because nothing screams zombie survival expertise like a lawn care business

Granted, this list is on the best cities for surviving a zombie apocalypse, but look at the results. Number one is Orlando, Florida? Seriously!? There are 2700 people per square mile in Orlando. Their criteria include the number of supermarkets per 100,000 residents note: this doesnt account for the many thousands of TOURISTS that would be trapped around all the Disney resorts. The zombie apocalypse could very well START at Disney.

The Lawn Love studys criteria includes the number of homes with basements, kitchens with plumbing, the number of hospitals, etc. If theres anything Night of the Living Dead taught is its DONT go into the basement in a zombie apocalypse! Also, hospitals will be the WORST places to be in a zombie apocalypse. Thats where people will go once infected.

As I said, these studies are FLAWED.

Miami, by the way, they rank as the 8th safest city, ahead of Boise, Idaho. I dont know about you, but if Im given a chance to survive the zombie apocalypse and I can choose between Miami and Boise it wouldnt be Miami. Safest States in a Zombie Apocalypse My Results

Given the poor logic Ive found in other studies, I set out to conduct my own analysis. Not everything the other studies used was flawed, and I salvaged some aspects of those studies while tossing other criteria aside.

So, this begs the question, what criteria should be used in determining the safest states to ride out a zombie apocalypse. My Methodology Population Density

Certainly, population density should be near the top. The fewer people there are, the fewer zombies there are. Simple. This alone isnt enough, because if we look just at that, Alaska wins by a landslide, but you want a balance. Trying to eke out post-collapse life by yourself in the Alaskan outback good luck with that. Too many people means too many zombies, but too few people means too few resources and partnerships for survival. Gun Ownership

Many studies on this topic also reference gun ownership as a determining factor. This is a good factor to consider. It doesnt account for ammunition per capita assuming that can be measured but its probably safe to assume that the more guns a state has the more ammo it has. Ammo will only last so long in a zombie apocalypse, however. Then it comes down to citizens ability to FIGHT. Residents Health

Residents health should also be considered. The more fit the citizens are, the faster they can run, and the longer they can fight. Access to Water

Food is an important factor, so we could look at the length of the growing season, and that would favor states in the south, but dont underestimate the power of winter in a zombie apocalypse. Yes, it will be cold, but have you ever seen a zombie tr to move in knee-deep snow? Winter would be the perfect time to walk the landscape in snowshoes and drive a spear tip into the head of the undead. For that reason, Im going to value longer summer and longer winter equally and discard growing season as a factor.

Whats more important than the availability of food is the availability of potable water. Nevada is the 9th least densely populated state, but what happens after the grid fails the tap water goes off, and youre left searching for fresh water to drink in Nevada. Good luck with that.

So, lets see what we get when we run these four factors: Population density Household firearm ownership rates Population health Water resources

I weigh them all equally. Results

Here I entered all 50 states and where they rank under each category. You can see the sources for my numbers here.

The lower the number the higher the rank, so if I total a states rank in each category and divide by four, I then have the states overall rank.

I sort the total score column from low to high and then we have the results!

Safest states in a zombie apocalypse: Alaska North Dakota Vermont Utah Idaho Wyoming Maine Montana South Dakota Minnesota

Alaska, despite my comments about how its remoteness can be a detriment, comes out as the safest state in a zombie apocalypse with a score of 10.5. Its health score was its worst score, but high rankings in population density, gun ownership and water availability compensated for it.

North Dakota, similar to the other study, tied with Vermont for the 2nd and 3rd spots, each with a score of 15. North Dakota was better in population density, but Vermont residents are much healthier, the healthiest in the nation.

The fourth safest state, with a score of 16.5, is Utah where the health of its residents helped push it into the top 10.

Idaho and Wyoming tie for the fifth and sixth spots with a score of 16.75. Wyoming is very rural with many gun owners. Idaho came out a bit ahead with water and health.

The seventh and eighth spots are a tie between Maine and Montana, each with a score of 17.25. Maine was rather well-balanced across all four categories. Montana did well in population density and gun ownership.

Ninth place, with a score of 19, goes to South Dakota. Again, low population density and high gun ownership rates pushed it up the safest state list.

Rounding out the top ten is Minnesota, with a score of 19.75. Average ratings in most categories except for health, where it ranks seventh in the nation. Safest StatesPopulation DensityGun OwnershipHealth RankWater ResourcesState ScoreAlaska13271110.5North Dakota410143215Vermont201612315Utah112352716.5Idaho74164016.75Wyoming22194416.75Maine1322211317.25Montana31244117.25South Dakota59253719Minnesota213471719.75Oregon1215223120Wisconsin262823921.5Hawaii38473222.5Washington293591923New Hampshire303662223.5Louisiana251349823.75Nebraska829174625Colorado1430104825.5Virginia3732151825.5Alabama248472526Massachusetts48502426Michigan333832126Mississippi197502826Kansas1019294726.25Arkansas176483526.5Oklahoma1611463627.25Connecticut474541427.5Nevada921354527.5Iowa1533204327.75Maryland464218527.75South Carolina3217422027.75New York4446111228.25North Carolina3626361528.25Rhode Island494813328.25West Virginia225454228.5California4043122129Kentucky2812433329New Jersey504981029.25Georgia3418402629.5New Mexico625375029.5Texas2727343029.5Missouri2320393930.25Arizona1824314930.5Delaware454130630.5Florida434033730.75Tennessee3114443430.75Illinois3944262433.25Ohio4139381633.5Pennsylvania4237282934Indiana3531413836.25The complete results of the study I conducted.

Sources of data: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_and_territories_of_the_United_States_by_population_density https://www.concealedcarry.com/firearms-ownership/which-states-have-the-most-gun-owners/ https://selecthealth.org/blog/2017/01/healthiest-states-report https://rlist.io/l/50-u-s-states-highest-water-to-land-ratio Worst States in a Zombie Apocalypse

The absolute worst states to survive a zombie apocalypse using this methodology goes to Indiana. Sorry, hoosiers, youre all gonna die. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Tennessee, and yes, even Florida, you are all in tough shape as well.

Is the criteria I used to rank the states ideal? I dont know, but I think its better than what some other states did. There would be exceptions in every state, of course. Southern California is going to be worse off than Northern California, for example. Rural Pennsylvania will fare better than the Philadelphia area. I have years worth of experience slaying zombies. Ill survive the zombie apocalypse will you!?

Those are my thoughts. Sorry if your state didnt rank as highly as you may have liked, but hey not everyone can survive the zombie apocalypse. In fact, most wont.

Stay safe out there.

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Politics

Can Streeting stop the doctors strikes?

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Can Streeting stop the doctors strikes?

👉Listen to Politics at Sam and Anne’s on your podcast app👈 

After yesterday’s royal welcome from the King, French President Emmanuel Macron will get down to business today, meeting Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for lunch, after PMQs.

But, as Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy discuss on this episode, away from the pomp, Sir Keir’s in-tray doesn’t look any less challenging.

It includes a headache for Health Secretary Wes Streeting as resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, announce a new strike – and there is as a punchy warning from the OBR on making financial promises to the public.

Also today, the welfare bill returns to the House of Commons, with reports of another rebellion brewing.

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World

Why do so many from around the world try to cross the English Channel?

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Why do so many from around the world try to cross the English Channel?

While the politicians talk, so many people come from around the world to try to get across the Channel on small boats. But why?

Why make such a perilous crossing to try to get to a country that seems to be getting increasingly hostile to asylum seekers?

As the British and French leaders meet, with small boats at the forefront of their agenda, we came to northern France to get some answers.

It is not a new question, but it is peppered with fresh relevance.

Over the course of a morning spent around a migrant camp in Dunkirk, we meet migrants from Gaza, Iraq, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka and beyond.

Some are fearful, waving us away; some are happy to talk. Very few are comfortable to be filmed.

All but one man – who says he’s come to the wrong place and actually wants to claim asylum in Paris – are intent on reaching Britain.

They see the calm seas, feel the light winds – perfect conditions for small boat crossings.

John has come here from South Sudan. He tells me he’s now 18 years old. He left his war-torn home nation just before his 16th birthday. He feels that reaching Britain is his destiny.

“England is my dream country,” he says. “It has been my dream since I was at school. It’s the country that colonised us and when I get there, I will feel like I am home.

“In England, they can give me an opportunity to succeed or to do whatever I need to do in my life. I feel like I am an English child, who was born in Africa.”

John, a migrant from South Sudan, speaks to Sky News Adam Parsons
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‘England is my dream country,’ John tells Adam Parsons

He says he would like to make a career in England, either as a journalist or in human resources, and, like many others we meet, is at pains to insist he will work hard.

The boat crossing is waved away as little more than an inconvenience – a trifle compared with the previous hardships of his journey towards Britain.

We meet a group of men who have all travelled from Gaza, intent on starting new lives in Britain and then bringing their families over to join them.

One man, who left Gaza two years ago, tells me that his son has since been shot in the leg “but there is no hospital for him to go to”.

Next to him, a man called Abdullah says he entered Europe through Greece and stayed there for months on end, but was told the Greek authorities would never allow him to bring over his family.

Britain, he thinks, will be more accommodating. “Gaza is being destroyed – we need help,” he says.

Abdullah, a migrant from Gaza, speaking to Sky's Adam Parsons
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Abdullah says ‘Gaza is being destroyed – we need help’

A man from Eritrea tells us he is escaping a failing country and has friends in Britain – he plans to become a bicycle courier in either London or Manchester.

He can’t stay in France, he says, because he doesn’t speak French. The English language is presented as a huge draw for many of the people we talk to, just as it had been during similar conversations over the course of many years.

I ask many of these people why they don’t want to stay in France, or another safe European country.

Some repeat that they cannot speak the language and feel ostracised. Another says that he tried, and failed, to get a residency permit in both France and Belgium.

But this is also, clearly, a flawed survey. Last year, five times as many people sought asylum in France as in Britain.

And French critics have long insisted that Britain, a country without a European-style ID card system, makes itself attractive to migrants who can “disappear”.

Read more:
Channel crossings rise 50% in first six months of 2025
French police forced to watch on as migrants attempt crossing

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Migrant Channel crossings hit new record

A young man from Iraq, with absolutely perfect English, comes for a chat. He oozes confidence and a certain amount of mischief.

It has taken him only seven days to get from Iraq to Dunkirk; when I ask how he has made the trip so quickly, he shrugs. “Money talks”.

He looks around him. “Let me tell you – all of these people you see around you will be getting to Britain and the first job they get will be in the black market, so they won’t be paying any tax.

“Back in the day in Britain, they used to welcome immigrants very well, but these days I don’t think they want to, because there’s too many of them coming by boat. Every day it’s about seven or 800 people. That’s too many people.”

“But,” I ask, “if those people are a problem – then what makes you different? Aren’t you a problem too?”

He shakes his head emphatically. “I know that I’m a very good guy. And I won’t be a problem. I’ll only stay in Britain for a few years and then I’ll leave again.”

A young man from Iraq walks away from Sky's Adam Parsons

A man from Sri Lanka says he “will feel safe” when he gets to Britain; a tall, smiling man from Ethiopia echoes the sentiment: “We are not safe in our home country so we have come all this way,” he says. “We want to work, to be part of Britain.”

Emmanuel is another from South Sudan – thoughtful and eloquent. He left his country five years ago – “at the start of COVID” – and has not seen his children in all that time. His aim is to start a new life in Britain, and then to bring his family to join him.

He is a trained electrical engineer, but says he could also work as a lorry driver. He is adamant that Britain has a responsibility to the people of its former colony.

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“The British came to my country – colonising, killing, raping,” he said. “And we didn’t complain. We let it happen.

“I am not the problem. I won’t fight anyone; I want to work. And if I break the laws – if any immigrant breaks the laws – then fine, deport them.

“I know it won’t be easy – some people won’t like me, some people will. But England is my dream.”

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Science

Axiom 4 Mission Crew Settles Down at ISS, Begins Conducting Research

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Axiom 4 Mission Crew Settles Down at ISS, Begins Conducting Research

Axiom 4 mission’s crewmates began conducting biomedical research aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. Expedition 73 and Ax-4 crews found electrical muscle stimulation and cellular immunity. The Cargo transfers and exercise gear maintenance take a day for orbital residents.

Takuya Onishi, Situation Commander from JAXA( Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), has begun the shift in continuation of his space biology studies. His blood and saliva samples are being collected for storage and processing. Further, he spun the specimens in a centrifuge and placed the blood samples in the freezer. After that, he stowed the samples in the incubator.

JAXA’s Takuya Onishi Leads Cellular Immunity Study with Blood and Saliva Analysis

According to a report from NASA, the samples will be analysed to determine the effect of microgravity on cellular immunity, observe stress-related immune reactions, and learn about how to treat symptoms of immunity. The flight engineers Johnny Kim, Anne McClain, and Nichole Ayers spent their day on orbital lab maintenance and further support activities of the crew. Kim focused mainly on orbital plumbing as he replaced and drained the Tranquillity module.

Ayers checked cables and power components in the Destiny laboratory module and deactivated and placed the microscope. McClain took the cognition test on the laptop and kept on supporting the Ax-4 crew at a time of a busy schedule.

Ax-4 Crew Explores Muscle Stimulation and Space Suit Fabric Efficiency in Microgravity

Veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson and her Ax-4 crewmates Shubhanshu Shukla, Tibor Kapu and UznaÅ„ski-WiÅ›niewski conducted numerous space investigations throughout the lab. The private scientists in their second full week on the station found out that the electrical muscle simulation escalates the space-related and muscle atrophy in space. Ax-4’s other experiments looked at suit fabrics promote thermal comfort with exercising the weightlessness, crew health and agriculture in space.

Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy worked together on the Zvezda service module, repairing and organising components on a treadmill, one of the two inside the space station, which included the COLBERT treadmill. Kirill Peskov started his day by going through the biological samples from the crewmates. At the end of his shift, he transfers water from Progress 92 cargo craft and unloads the stuffs of hardware and crew supplies.

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Microsoft Fixes One Zero-Day Vulnerability, 136 Other Flaws With July 2025 Windows Security Update

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