Alaska ranks third best-bet for surviving a zombie apocalypse

By SUZANNE DOWNING

May 21, 2026 – The Alaska Legislature’s special session not withstanding, as Zombie Awareness Month shambles forward, Alaska has officially secured bragging rights as one of the safest places in North America when the undead uprising finally begins.

A new study by CanadaSportsBetting ranks Alaska third among all 50 states for surviving a zombie apocalypse, with a 6.46% survival probability. Only Wyoming and Virginia scored higher. Perhaps the study was done before Virginia’s new ban on the sale, manufacture, and importation of certain semi-automatic firearms and large-capacity magazines was passed. It goes into effect on July 1.

The researchers looked at four categories: vulnerability, defense, resources, and physicality. In other words: How easy would it be for zombies to spread, how armed are the humans, how many supplies are available, and how physically capable are the survivors?

For Alaska, the answer appears to be: pretty capable. Well, except maybe the Legislature. The study did not look at lawmakers.

The study concluded that Alaska’s biggest advantages are that there are very few people, it is extremely cold, and a lot of people own firearms. (Remember, that firearms only work on zombies if you go for the brain.)

“Alaska’s pitch is simple: there is essentially no one there, it is extremely cold, and everyone has a gun,” the study notes. Well, 66% of adults own a gun in Alaska, and some own a lot of them.

Alaska earned one of the lowest vulnerability scores in the entire survey, thanks to its sparse population and minimal reliance on public transportation. Researchers reasoned that fewer crowded cities and buses means fewer opportunities for zombies to spread.

The state also scored well for defense, helped by Alaska’s military presence and large veteran population. Six military installations contributed to the state’s resilience rating.

Then there is the weather.

According to the study’s “physicality” category, Alaska’s cold climate would significantly slow zombie mobility, giving locals a tactical edge. The report essentially argues that frozen zombies are easier to outrun than fast-moving undead in warmer climates.

Alaskans may also already possess the survival mindset needed for an apocalypse.

The report joked that “if you can survive an Alaskan winter already, a few shambling corpses probably aren’t your biggest concern.”

The only weak point for Alaska was resources. Because communities are spread far apart, the state has fewer big-box stores and supply outlets per capita than many Lower 48 states. Apparently Costco runs would become even more intense during the apocalypse. The supply chain is fragile in the 49th state.

At the top of the rankings was Wyoming, described as “basically built for this scenario,” with its low population density, high firearm ownership, and cold winters.

At the opposite end of the spectrum was Ontario, Canada, which finished dead last with a survival probability of just 2.35%. Researchers blamed the province’s dense urban population and heavy transit usage, particularly around Toronto, calling it “essentially unrecoverable from the outset.”

New York also landed near the bottom. The study bluntly warned: “Get out of the city immediately. You already know this.”

The full study ranked all 50 states and 14 Canadian provinces using weighted categories that included population density, urbanization, firearms ownership, military bases, veteran populations, hospital capacity, obesity rates, and average annual temperatures.

In short, the zombie apocalypse survival formula appears to favor places that are cold, rural, heavily armed, and difficult to reach.

Which, come to think of it, sounds a lot like Alaska on a normal Thursday.

More here:

The Zombie Apocalypse Survival Index 2026: The Odds of Surviving in Every State and Province