Ohio Zombie Survival Index: 76/100

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The three tests

Ohio scored three times

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

Walking DeadThe Walking Dead

82

Slow zombies reward distance, terrain, food and freshwater. Ohio has about 11,900,510 people and 13.5 million acres in farm operations, plus 1.23 million cattle and calves, 2.75 million hogs and 584.6 million bushels of corn. Against walkers there is time to turn all of that into a defensible long-term system.

World War ZWorld War Z

65

Fast zombies turn evacuation into a race against the road network, and 65 is the lowest fast score in the project so far. Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, Dayton and Akron spread outbreak pressure across the entire state rather than concentrating it somewhere avoidable.

Last of UsThe Last of Us

81

Yes, we know they're not technically zombies. This asks whether a settlement can still work after modern supply chains stop, and Ohio is genuinely strong: elite agriculture, elite medical depth, elite logistics and a Lake Erie and Ohio River water position that does not run dry.

What helps

Mostly rolling agricultural land, with Appalachian hills and forests in the southeast plus Lake Erie shoreline
Lake Erie, the Ohio River, reservoirs, groundwater and extensive river systems
13.5 million acres in farm operations
1.23 million cattle and calves
2.75 million hogs, 5.747 billion pounds of milk, 584.6 million bushels of corn and 258.64 million bushels of soybeans in 2025
A large industrial electric system with natural gas, coal, nuclear and growing wind and solar resources
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Camp Perry and Ohio National Guard forces

What hurts

Six significant metros spreading outbreak pressure statewide
Tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, flooding, winter storms, heat and occasional drought
Limited true wilderness and little hard defensive terrain outside the southeast
Main corridors become population funnels after late evacuation

Avoid Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati corridors early, then favour southeast Appalachian counties with water, farms, forests and secondary-road access.

Personal assessment

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The reason for the score

Ohio's zombie superpowers

Mostly rolling agricultural land, with Appalachian hills and forests in the southeast plus Lake Erie shoreline, determine movement, observation, evacuation and settlement options. The best refuge needs terrain plus water plus food plus energy plus access.

1 · Agriculture

Ohio combines 13.5 million farm acres with huge corn, soybean, hog and dairy production.

2 · Freshwater

Lake Erie and major river systems give the state a strong water position that is not drought-dependent.

3 · Medical and industrial depth

Ohio starts with major hospitals, manufacturing, logistics and repair capacity — perfect 10s in both medicine and logistics.

4 · Road redundancy

The road grid offers many options before evacuation congestion begins, scoring 9 on escape capacity.

The catch

Six cities and nowhere to hide

Many metros

Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, Dayton and Akron spread outbreak pressure across the state, so there is no single place to avoid.

Not much hard terrain

Most of Ohio is not naturally defensive, and it scores just 5 on wilderness and remote land.

Corridor exposure

The interstates that normally make Ohio accessible make it hard to isolate.

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 Moderate-high density 5/10

02 Major city exposure Several large metros create distributed exposure 4/10

03 Road escape capacity Excellent road network and route redundancy 9/10

04 Freshwater availability Lake Erie, Ohio River and groundwater are strong 9/10

05 Agricultural capacity 13.5 million farm acres 10/10

06 Food self-sufficiency Huge corn, soy, hog and dairy base 10/10

07 Wilderness & remote land Limited true wilderness 5/10

08 Natural defensive terrain Southeast hills help; much of the state is open 6/10

09 Climate survivability Generally survivable climate 8/10

10 Winter zombie suppression Useful winter suppression 7/10

11 Natural disaster risk Storm and flood exposure 6/10

12 Energy production Large diversified generation system 8/10

13 Off-grid energy potential Moderate wind and solar potential 7/10

14 Medical resources Excellent statewide medical depth 10/10

15 Military & Guard presence Wright-Patterson and Guard assets 8/10

16 Emergency management Strong emergency-management capability 9/10

17 Supply & logistics Elite industrial and logistics network 10/10

18 Infrastructure vulnerability Dense infrastructure and regional systems create vulnerability 6/10

19 Survival resource availability Food, water, industry and energy are strong 10/10

20 Evacuation & refuge potential Good rural refuge potential 7/10

21 Natural barriers & water access Lake Erie and the Ohio River provide barriers 8/10

22 Distance from population centers Hard to get very far from population statewide 5/10

23 Chokepoint & bridge dependency Some river crossings and metro interchanges can choke 7/10

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

25 Long-term settlement potential Strong rural long-term potential 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

Southeast Ohio Appalachian foothills

Forests, hills, water and lower density create the best refuge in the state.

The only real terrain Ohio has
Forest cover and stream access
Farms within reach
Genuinely lower population density

Runner-up

Rural eastern Ohio away from Pittsburgh spillover

Good farms and hills, but regional population matters here.

Third

Northwest farm country away from Toledo

Excellent food and roads, though the terrain is weak.

Where not to be

Avoid early

Columbus metro

Its central location makes it a population and highway nexus.

Avoid early

Cleveland-Akron corridor

Dense urban footprint and regional movement.

Avoid

Any major Ohio River crossing during mass evacuation

The bridge becomes the destination nobody wanted.

Verdict

76 out of 100 · Grade C · Rank #34

Ohio has the resources to support large survivor communities. It offers productive farmland, freshwater from Lake Erie and major rivers, manufacturing, energy, extensive roads, strong hospitals, and a moderate climate. The catch is population spread across several major cities, flat terrain, crowded transportation corridors, tornadoes, flooding, and limited natural barriers. Ohio can feed and equip survivors, but it also gives infected populations many routes into the countryside.

Walking Dead 82. World War Z 65. Last of Us 81.

Avoid Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati corridors early, then favour southeast Appalachian counties with water, farms, forests and secondary-road access.

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