North Dakota Zombie Survival Index: 91/100

Personal assessment

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The three tests

North Dakota scored three times

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

Walking DeadThe Walking Dead

97

Slow zombies reward distance, terrain, food and freshwater. North Dakota has about 799,358 people and 38.5 million acres in farm operations, plus 1.73 million cattle and calves. Against walkers there is ample time to turn that into a defensible long-term system.

World War ZWorld War Z

94

Fast zombies turn evacuation into a race against the road network. North Dakota scores very high on low population and route redundancy, with no large metro to trap anyone. What it lacks is hard terrain to hide behind once you stop running.

Last of UsThe Last of Us

82

Yes, we know they're not technically zombies. This asks whether a settlement still works after supply chains stop. The grain and cattle depth is enormous; the constraint is solving winter and the distance to specialised care.

What helps

Open prairie, badlands, river valleys and enormous low-density agricultural territory
The Missouri River and Lake Sakakawea system, the Red River basin, groundwater and reservoirs
38.5 million acres in farm operations
1.73 million cattle and calves
711 million bushels of corn, 223.9 million bushels of soybeans and 334.1 million bushels of wheat in 2025, plus canola, potatoes, sunflowers, dry peas and lentils
One of the strongest per-capita energy positions in the country — oil, natural gas, coal and major wind
Minot Air Force Base, Grand Forks Air Force Base and North Dakota National Guard forces

What hurts

Extreme cold, blizzards, flooding, drought, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and wildfire
Remote safety trades away medical and repair access
Main corridors become population funnels after a late evacuation
Natural hard barriers are limited across much of the state

Stay near an established rural community with heat, fuel, food, water and medical basics. Let winter and distance do the defensive work.

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The reason for the score

North Dakota's zombie superpowers

Open prairie, badlands, river valleys and enormous low-density agricultural territory determine movement, observation, evacuation and settlement options. The best refuge needs terrain plus water plus food plus energy plus access.

1 · Population-to-food ratio

Under 800,000 people share 38.5 million farm acres and enormous grain production.

2 · Winter suppression

Few states can make cold work harder against infected movement than this one.

3 · Energy

Oil, gas, coal and wind create extraordinary fuel and power depth for a state this size.

4 · Distance

There are very few places where a major urban outbreak could quickly reach the whole state.

The catch

Cold, distance and open ground

Winter

North Dakota's greatest anti-zombie weapon is also its greatest anti-human weapon.

Medical distance

Advanced care and specialised repair capacity are both sparse.

Open terrain

Natural hard barriers are limited across much of the state, so you are relying on distance rather than obstacles.

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 Extremely low density 10/10

02 Major city exposure No large metro exposure 10/10

03 Road escape capacity Strong road grid, though distances are large 8/10

04 Freshwater availability Missouri River and groundwater are useful; some areas are dry 7/10

05 Agricultural capacity 38.5 million farm acres 10/10

06 Food self-sufficiency Massive grain, oilseed and cattle production 10/10

07 Wilderness & remote land Huge rural and remote areas 10/10

08 Natural defensive terrain Mostly open terrain; Badlands improve the west 4/10

09 Climate survivability Extreme cold is difficult for humans 4/10

10 Winter zombie suppression Elite winter suppression 10/10

11 Natural disaster risk Blizzards, floods, drought and storms 6/10

12 Energy production Elite oil, gas, coal and wind resources 10/10

13 Off-grid energy potential Excellent wind potential 9/10

14 Medical resources Sparse advanced medical access outside cities 5/10

15 Military & Guard presence Two major Air Force bases 8/10

16 Emergency management Strong winter and flood emergency experience 8/10

17 Supply & logistics Long-distance logistics are a weakness 6/10

18 Infrastructure vulnerability Winter and remote infrastructure are fragile 7/10

19 Survival resource availability Food, fuel, water and energy are exceptional 10/10

20 Evacuation & refuge potential Elite refuge potential 10/10

21 Natural barriers & water access Few hard barriers outside rivers and the Badlands 6/10

22 Distance from population centers Almost everywhere is far from a major metro 10/10

23 Chokepoint & bridge dependency Road redundancy is good 9/10

24 Hunting, fishing & foraging Excellent hunting; useful fishing 9/10

25 Long-term settlement potential Excellent if winter survivability is solved 8/10

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

Central and western agricultural communities

Food, fuel, winter infrastructure and distance combine better here than anywhere else in the state.

Established towns with heat and fuel
Working farm and ranch land
Dependable water access
Far from any regional population corridor

Runner-up

Missouri River and Lake Sakakawea agricultural fringe

Water and energy access improve the balance considerably along the reservoir system.

Third

Rural eastern farm country away from Fargo

Extreme food depth, but flatter ground and closer to regional population corridors.

Where not to be

Avoid

Isolated site without reliable heat

The zombies may freeze. So will you, and rather sooner.

Avoid early

The Fargo metro

Still small nationally, but it is the state's main eastern concentration.

Avoid

Flood-prone Red River bottom

Flat land plus spring flooding is a bad combination when nobody is maintaining the defences.

Verdict

91 out of 100 · Grade A− · Rank #3

North Dakota is exceptionally strong zombie-survival territory if survivors can handle the climate. It has fewer than 800,000 residents, tens of millions of farm acres, cattle, grain, oil, wind energy, groundwater, and vast open space with little urban pressure. The catch is extreme winter cold, blizzards, drought, limited forests and natural barriers, long distances, and sparse medical infrastructure. Food and energy are abundant, but isolation demands serious preparation.

Walking Dead 97. World War Z 94. Last of Us 82.

Stay near an established rural community with heat, fuel, food, water and medical basics. Let winter and distance do the defensive work.

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