Oregon Zombie Survival Index: 85/100

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The three tests

Oregon scored three times

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

Walking DeadThe Walking Dead

91

Slow zombies reward distance, terrain, food and freshwater. Oregon has about 4,273,586 people and 15.3 million acres in farm operations, plus 1.21 million cattle and calves and 2.503 billion pounds of milk. Against walkers, survivors have time to convert those resources into a defensible long-term system.

World War ZWorld War Z

82

Fast zombies turn evacuation into a race against the road network. Oregon's terrain is superb once reached, and most of the state is genuinely empty — but Portland concentrates the population, and a bridge-dependent escape plan is a fragile one on a good day.

Last of UsThe Last of Us

83

Yes, we know they're not technically zombies. This asks whether a settlement can still work after modern supply chains stop. Oregon is unusually well equipped: water, hydropower, timber, fisheries and a diverse farm base. Fire and seismic planning decide whether it holds.

What helps

Cascade Range, Coast Range, forests, river valleys, high desert and broad agricultural basins
Columbia and Willamette river systems, mountain snowpack, reservoirs, groundwater and very high precipitation west of the Cascades
15.3 million acres in farm operations
1.21 million cattle and calves
2.503 billion pounds of milk plus major hay, wheat, potato, hazelnut, grape, fruit and vegetable production
17,692 MW of net summer capacity in 2024 with major hydroelectric generation plus natural gas, wind and solar
The Oregon National Guard, Kingsley Field, Portland Air National Guard Base and regional Coast Guard and federal assets

What hurts

Wildfire capable of closing the one road out of a forest community
Drought, Cascadia earthquake risk, volcanic hazards, flooding and winter storms
Remote safety can mean thinner medicine and longer repair distances
Main corridors become population funnels after a late evacuation

Get outside the Portland metro early, then favour a smaller valley or Cascade-footing community with dependable water, nearby agriculture, defensible terrain and more than one route around mountain-pass bottlenecks.

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The reason for the score

Oregon's zombie superpowers

Cascade Range, Coast Range, forests, river valleys, high desert and broad agricultural basins determine movement, observation, evacuation and settlement options. The best refuge needs terrain plus water plus food plus energy plus access.

1 · Water and hydropower

Oregon's river systems, snowpack and hydroelectric base give it a rare combination of abundant water and renewable energy in the same place.

2 · Terrain

The Cascades, Coast Range and forested interior provide strong defensive geography from more than one direction.

3 · Agriculture

USDA lists 15.3 million farm acres with strong dairy, wheat, potato, fruit, nut and vegetable production.

4 · Forests

Timber, wildlife, concealment and fuelwood add real long-term resilience beyond the first winter.

The catch

Fire, faults and one metro

Wildfire

Oregon's best forest refuges can become one-road fire traps, and the fire moves faster than anything else in this model.

Cascadia

A major earthquake could damage bridges, ports, utilities and roads at the worst possible moment.

Portland concentration

The metro remains the obvious first-wave pressure point and the state's bridge-dependency problem.

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 Low-moderate statewide density 8/10

02 Major city exposure Portland is the main concentration 6/10

03 Road escape capacity Strong road system, though passes and river crossings can narrow 8/10

04 Freshwater availability Exceptional rivers, snowpack and precipitation 10/10

05 Agricultural capacity 15.3 million farm acres 9/10

06 Food self-sufficiency Strong dairy, grain, potato, fruit, nut and vegetable output 9/10

07 Wilderness & remote land Huge forest and remote land base 10/10

08 Natural defensive terrain Cascades and Coast Range are elite terrain 10/10

09 Climate survivability Mild west-side climate, harsher east-side extremes 8/10

10 Winter zombie suppression Mountain winters provide useful suppression 7/10

11 Natural disaster risk Wildfire, earthquake, volcanic and flood risk 4/10

12 Energy production Hydro-heavy diversified electric system 9/10

13 Off-grid energy potential Excellent hydro, wind and solar potential 9/10

14 Medical resources Good urban medicine, thinner rural access 8/10

15 Military & Guard presence Guard and Air Guard assets 8/10

16 Emergency management Strong wildfire and earthquake preparedness 9/10

17 Supply & logistics Good Pacific Northwest logistics 8/10

18 Infrastructure vulnerability Bridges, passes and seismic risk are vulnerabilities 6/10

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

20 Evacuation & refuge potential Excellent refuge potential outside Portland 10/10

21 Natural barriers & water access Rivers, coast and mountains create barriers 10/10

22 Distance from population centers Large eastern and southern areas far from major metros 9/10

23 Chokepoint & bridge dependency Some bridge and pass dependency 7/10

24 Hunting, fishing & foraging Excellent hunting, fishing and foraging 10/10

25 Long-term settlement potential Very strong where fire and seismic planning are solved 9/10

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

Willamette Valley fringe / Cascade foothills

Water, farms, forests and terrain without living inside Portland.

Dependable year-round water
Working farmland immediately nearby
Forest cover and elevation behind you
More than one route that avoids a pass

Runner-up

Southern Oregon valleys away from I-5 population centres

Agriculture and terrain are strong, but wildfire is a serious and recurring problem.

Third

Columbia Gorge and inland valley communities with redundant access

Water and energy are strong, but route chokepoints require care.

Where not to be

Avoid early

Portland metro

Population concentration and bridge dependence dominate first-wave risk.

Avoid

One-road forest community

Wildfire can erase the road considerably faster than zombies ever could.

Avoid

Any plan that depends on a low seismic-resilience river crossing

A bridge-dependent escape route is a fragile plan.

Verdict

85 out of 100 · Grade B · Rank #13

Oregon has nearly everything needed for a durable zombie refuge. It offers abundant freshwater, forests, mountains, farms, fisheries, hydropower, coastline access, and vast areas of remote country east and west of the Cascades. The catch is Portland's population pressure, wildfire and smoke, earthquakes, volcanic hazards, winter mountain passes, and the sharp water divide between the wet west and dry east. Location choice would determine whether Oregon becomes a sanctuary or a trap.

Walking Dead 91. World War Z 82. Last of Us 83.

Get outside the Portland metro early, then favour a smaller valley or Cascade-footing community with dependable water, nearby agriculture, defensible terrain and more than one route around mountain-pass bottlenecks.

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