Nebraska Zombie Survival Index: 87/100

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The three tests

Nebraska scored three times

A state that handles shamblers can get erased by sprinters. Here is how Nebraska performs under each outbreak model.

Walking DeadThe Walking Dead

92

Slow zombies reward distance, food, freshwater and terrain. Nebraska has about 2,018,006 people and 43.9 million acres in farm operations, plus 6.15 million cattle and calves. Against walkers the resource base matters, because survivors have the time to actually exploit it.

World War ZWorld War Z

83

Fast zombies turn geography into a race. A state can have perfect land twenty miles away and still fail because those twenty miles stop moving. Nebraska's road grid is unusually forgiving here, but open terrain gives survivors very little to hide behind once they arrive.

Last of UsThe Last of Us

86

Yes, we know they're not technically zombies. This asks whether a settlement can function after the modern supply network fails. Nebraska has the food and the aquifer; the open sky is the part that keeps taking swings at the roof.

What helps

Sandhills, broad prairie, river valleys, agricultural plains and large sparsely populated rural areas
The High Plains/Ogallala aquifer, Platte River system, Republican River, reservoirs and farm wells
43.9 million acres in farm operations
6.15 million cattle and calves
3.65 million hogs, about 2.03 billion bushels of corn, 313.7 million bushels of soybeans and 1.235 billion pounds of milk in 2025
A large central-Plains power system supported by coal, wind, natural gas, nuclear and hydro resources
Offutt Air Force Base, the Nebraska National Guard and regional Strategic Command infrastructure

What hurts

Open terrain with very few natural defensive barriers
Tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, hail, drought, flooding, blizzards and extreme heat and cold
Remote safety can mean thinner medicine and longer repair distances
Main corridors can become population funnels after a late evacuation

Avoid Omaha and Lincoln early, then favour Sandhills or north-central communities with proven groundwater, livestock, grain storage, winter heat and multiple county-road options.

Personal assessment

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The reason for the score

Nebraska's zombie superpowers

Sandhills, broad prairie, river valleys, agricultural plains and large sparsely populated rural areas determine movement, observation, evacuation and settlement options. The best refuge is not simply remote — it needs terrain plus water plus food plus energy plus access.

1 · Food surplus

USDA's 2025 overview lists 43.9 million farm acres, 6.15 million cattle, 3.65 million hogs and more than two billion bushels of corn.

2 · Groundwater

The High Plains aquifer makes water a major survival advantage wherever wells remain viable.

3 · Low population pressure

Just over two million people share an enormous agricultural base.

4 · Road redundancy

The county-road grid gives survivors options that bridge-, pass- and coast-dependent states simply do not have.

The catch

Open ground, open sky

Open terrain

Nebraska is easy to see across and difficult to defend with natural barriers.

Severe weather

Tornadoes, hail, drought, blizzards and heat can wreck an exposed settlement.

Water is not uniform

The aquifer is a major strength, but local well depth and long-term draw still matter.

The framework

25 survival factors, scored 1–10

Every state is measured on the same 25 factors. Weighting shifts by scenario — terrain matters more against sprinters, agriculture matters more in a long collapse.

01 Population density Very low statewide density 10/10

02 Major city exposure Omaha and Lincoln are the main concentrations 9/10

03 Road escape capacity Excellent county-road redundancy 9/10

04 Freshwater availability Ogallala groundwater and rivers are major strengths 9/10

05 Agricultural capacity 43.9 million farm acres 10/10

06 Food self-sufficiency Extraordinary cattle, hog, corn and soybean output 10/10

07 Wilderness & remote land Large rural areas, limited true wilderness 8/10

08 Natural defensive terrain Mostly open terrain 4/10

09 Climate survivability Four-season climate, but extremes are real 7/10

10 Winter zombie suppression Cold winters provide useful suppression 8/10

11 Natural disaster risk Tornado, hail, drought and blizzard risk 5/10

12 Energy production Large regional power system 8/10

13 Off-grid energy potential Wind and solar potential are strong 9/10

14 Medical resources Good urban medicine, thin rural access 7/10

15 Military & Guard presence Offutt AFB and Guard assets 8/10

16 Emergency management Strong severe-weather response experience 8/10

17 Supply & logistics Excellent central U.S. freight position 8/10

18 Infrastructure vulnerability Weather and exposed infrastructure remain risks 7/10

19 Survival resource availability Food, groundwater, livestock and fuel are excellent 10/10

20 Evacuation & refuge potential Outstanding rural refuge potential 9/10

21 Natural barriers & water access Rivers help, but few hard terrain barriers 7/10

22 Distance from population centers Huge areas far from major metros 10/10

23 Chokepoint & bridge dependency Road redundancy is strong 8/10

24 Hunting, fishing & foraging Good hunting and fishing 8/10

25 Long-term settlement potential Elite long-term settlement potential 10/10

Tactics

What works, by scenario

Strategy	Walking Dead	World War Z	Last of Us
Rural farm or ranch with independent water	Excellent	Very good if reached early	Excellent
Small agricultural town	Very good	Good	Excellent
Remote site with no food system	Good early	Very good for isolation	Poor long-term
Major highway evacuation	Good early, bad late	Terrible late	Poor after collapse
Major metro shelter	Poor	Terrible	Poor
Distributed renewable power	Very good	Good	Excellent
Hunting and fishing supplement	Very good	Good	Very good
One-road refuge	Risky	Risky	Risky

Geography

Where to be

Best overall

Sandhills / north-central Nebraska

Low density, cattle, groundwater and enormous rural depth.

Grazing land and dependable wells
Very little population to turn
Grain storage within reach
Multiple county-road exits

Runner-up

Rural central Nebraska

Strong agriculture, wells and road redundancy.

Third

Northeast Nebraska farm country

Excellent food depth, but somewhat closer to Omaha and Sioux City flows.

Where not to be

Avoid early

Omaha metro

Largest population concentration and major interstate movement.

Avoid early

Lincoln and the I-80 corridor

Useful logistics right up until everyone uses it at once.

Avoid

Exposed farmstead with no severe-weather shelter

In Nebraska the sky is a recurring hostile actor.

Verdict

87 out of 100 · Grade B+ · Rank #8

Nebraska has the food, water, and space to support survivors for years. It offers enormous farms, more cattle than people, major groundwater reserves, wind energy, rivers, and relatively low population density outside Omaha and Lincoln. The catch is flat terrain, tornadoes, drought, extreme temperature swings, flooding, and heavy dependence on the Ogallala Aquifer and mechanized agriculture. The state can sustain communities, but it provides few natural defensive barriers.

Walking Dead 92. World War Z 83. Last of Us 86.

Avoid Omaha and Lincoln early, then favour Sandhills or north-central communities with proven groundwater, livestock, grain storage, winter heat and multiple county-road options.

See the national survey board

Method & sources

Where the numbers come from

The Zombie Survival Index is a fictional entertainment ranking that uses real public data as its inputs. Every state is scored on the same 25 factors under three outbreak models, and the overall number blends those results. All fifty states have been assessed and normalised against the same national scoring set.

U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Population Estimates and QuickFacts
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2025 State Agriculture Overview
U.S. Energy Information Administration, State Electricity Profile
State water-resource and environmental agencies
State emergency-management agencies
U.S. Department of Defense and National Guard installation sources
State wildlife, hunting and fishing agencies
NOAA and state climatology and hazard sources