May is Zombie Awareness Month, and to mark the occasion, CanadaSportsBetting.ca has calculated the survival odds for every U.S. state, Washington D.C., and every Canadian province and territory in the event of a full-scale zombie apocalypse.
The Zombie Apocalypse Survival Index scores 64 locations across four pillars: how vulnerable a population is to rapid zombie spread, how well-armed and defended it is, how well-stocked it would be for a long siege, and how physically capable its residents are of, well, running. Each pillar is scored from 0 to 100, combined into a final index, and converted into survival odds based on a 5% global base rate scaled against the index. The average location comes in at around 5%. Nobody is getting out of this easily.
The results are in. Some of them are alarming. If you live in Ontario, you may want to sit down.
Key Takeaways
- Wyoming offers the best survival odds on the continent at 7.09%, scoring highest on firearms and low vulnerability, making it the best-placed location to ride out the undead.
- Virginia sits just behind at 6.82%, powered almost entirely by its extraordinary military presence: 23 bases and the highest veteran population rate in the dataset.
- Not a single Canadian province offers better than 4.76%. The Northwest Territories, at 4.76%, is the country’s best hope.
- Ontario finishes dead last at 2.35%, with a vulnerability score that essentially describes an ideal zombie buffet.
- The bottom five is dominated by Canadian provinces and New York, none of whom can offer better than 3.15%.
The Top 10: Where to Go When the Dead Start Walking
The Top 10: Where to Go When the Dead Start Walking
1. Wyoming — 7.09%
Wyoming wins this thing convincingly. It has almost no one in it, guns everywhere, and cold winters that would slow the undead to a crawl. With 143 registered firearms per 1,000 residents (the second-highest rate in the entire dataset), very low population density, and minimal public transit use, Wyoming is basically built for this scenario. It also has two military bases, a solid veteran community, and enough hardware stores per capita to build a solid perimeter. Get yourself a cabin. You’ll be fine.
2. Virginia — 6.82%
Virginia earns its 6.82% odds through sheer military muscle. Twenty-three military bases, a veteran population that is among the highest anywhere in the dataset, and a firearms rate that would give most zombies pause. The vulnerability score is slightly higher than Wyoming’s due to a larger urban footprint, but Virginia’s defense infrastructure is hard to argue with. If you need to be somewhere with organised, armed humans around you, this is the state.
3. Alaska — 6.46%
Alaska’s pitch is simple: there is essentially no one there, it is extremely cold, and everyone has a gun. The model treats colder climates as a genuine tactical advantage — slower-moving zombies are easier to outrun and contain, and Alaska’s average temperatures are among the lowest in the dataset. Alaska scores near the bottom on vulnerability (which here means good news: barely anyone lives there to turn) and has a strong veteran presence thanks to six military installations. The trade-off is resource access, with fewer big-box stores per capita than the lower 48. But honestly, if you can survive an Alaskan winter already, a few shambling corpses probably aren’t your biggest concern.
4. South Dakota — 6.41%
South Dakota is the dark horse of the top ten. It has the lowest vulnerability score in the entire dataset outside Wyoming, meaning its sparse, rural population is about as far from a zombie hotspot as you can get. Its firearms rate is the highest in the entire index at 127 per 1,000 residents, which is a genuinely extraordinary number. The physicality score is slightly concerning (South Dakotans run a touch heavy), but with those numbers in defense and vulnerability, it barely matters.
5. New Hampshire — 6.12%
New Hampshire rounds out the top five at 6.12% with a quietly impressive all-round performance. Low vulnerability, reasonable gun ownership, a decent veteran community, and enough hardware and supply stores per capita to keep a survivor group going for a while. It is not flashy, but in a zombie apocalypse, boring and prepared beats exciting and defenceless every time.
6. New Mexico — 6.06%
New Mexico sits on five military bases, has a relatively sparse population and low transit use, and records a strong firearms rate. The heat is a concern — warmer climates score worse on physicality, as the model assumes cold weather slows zombies down — but New Mexico’s defense numbers carry it comfortably into the top ten.
7. Alabama — 6.01%
Alabama’s vulnerability score is impressively low, its firearms rate is solid, and it has eight military bases. The physicality score is one of the worst in the top ten: Alabama has one of the higher obesity rates in the dataset, which the model penalises on the basis that running from zombies becomes harder. But the defense and vulnerability numbers keep it well placed at 6.01%.
8. Oklahoma — 5.98%
Oklahoma is another state that quietly ticks every box. Low population density, minimal transit use, eight military bases, and a firearms rate that sits comfortably above the national average. Its physicality score is a concern for the same reasons as Alabama, but it has the resources and the weapons to make up for it.
9. Arkansas — 5.93%
Arkansas does not have the flashiest stats anywhere on the sheet, but it has no real weaknesses either. Low vulnerability, four military bases, and a firearms rate that puts it well above average. In a scenario where consistency matters more than peak performance, Arkansas is a reliable 5.93% pick.
10. Montana — 5.86%
Montana closes out the top ten much like Wyoming opened it: big, cold, empty, and well-armed. The vulnerability score is near the bottom of the entire dataset, the veteran population is strong, and the physicality score benefits from a cooler average climate that the model scores favourably — freezing conditions would significantly impair zombie mobility. If Wyoming is the 7.09% gold standard, Montana at 5.86% is a very solid silver.
The Bottom Five: Start Running
60. Alberta — 3.65%
Alberta is the highest-ranked Canadian province overall, and it still only manages 3.65%. The problem is a combination of a rapidly urbanising population and a defense index that pales next to the American states above it. Firearms ownership is reasonable by Canadian standards, but Canadian standards are not particularly high. Alberta’s saving grace is a relatively lower obesity rate and a decent big-box store density, but it is not nearly enough.
61. British Columbia — 3.15%
British Columbia has a large, urban, transit-dependent population centred around Greater Vancouver, which the model treats as exactly the kind of environment that turns bad quickly. Its defense numbers are weak, and its vulnerability score is one of the worst on the continent. Beautiful province. Terrible apocalypse venue.
62. New York — 3.08%
New York City is not your friend in a zombie scenario. The state has the second-highest vulnerability score in the entire dataset, a massive, dense, transit-saturated population, and a gun ownership rate that is near the bottom of the U.S. rankings. The defense score benefits from 12 military installations, but they cannot compensate for what is essentially a 20-million-person petri dish. Get out of the city immediately. You already know this.
63. Quebec — 2.98%
Quebec combines a large, heavily urbanised population with weak defense metrics and a physicality score that reflects cold-but-not-cold-enough winters. The vulnerability score is driven by Greater Montreal’s density and one of the highest transit-usage rates in the dataset. High public transit use is essentially a zombie express service in this model, and Quebec’s numbers are damning.
64. Ontario — 2.35%
Last place, and it is not close. Ontario’s 2.35% survival probability is the worst on the continent, and the gap to 63rd-placed Quebec at 2.98% is larger than the gap between Quebec and almost anyone above it. The vulnerability score of 77 out of 100 is the highest in the entire dataset: Greater Toronto’s population density, combined with the highest transit-usage rate outside Washington D.C., creates a scenario the model treats as essentially unrecoverable from the outset. The defense score is not bad by Canadian standards (8 military bases, a reasonable firearms rate), but it cannot come close to offsetting a vulnerability number that catastrophic. Ontario is not where you want to be.
How Canada Stacks Up: A Province-by-Province Breakdown
The honest answer is: not well. Not a single Canadian province or territory offers better than 4.76%, which tells its own story. Here is how the country looks on its own terms.
| Province / Territory | Overall Rank | Survival Odds | Survival Probability |
| Northwest Territories | 42 | 20/1 | 4.76% |
| Nunavut | 49 | 22/1 | 4.28% |
| Yukon | 50 | 22/1 | 4.25% |
| Nova Scotia | 52 | 23/1 | 4.22% |
| New Brunswick | 53 | 23/1 | 4.22% |
| Saskatchewan | 54 | 24/1 | 4.03% |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 56 | 24/1 | 3.95% |
| Prince Edward Island | 58 | 25/1 | 3.88% |
| Manitoba | 59 | 26/1 | 3.67% |
| Alberta | 60 | 26/1 | 3.65% |
| British Columbia | 61 | 31/1 | 3.15% |
| Quebec | 63 | 33/1 | 2.98% |
| Ontario | 64 | 42/1 | 2.35% |
The territories lead the way, and for an obvious reason: there is almost no one there. The Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon all score extremely well on vulnerability (very low population density, minimal transit use, tiny urban footprint), and while their defense and resource scores are limited by their remoteness, the sheer emptiness of these places is a massive advantage. If you can get yourself to Yellowknife or Whitehorse before the outbreak peaks, you are buying yourself time.
The Atlantic provinces cluster in the middle of the Canadian rankings at 4.22% to 3.88%. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick both benefit from low vulnerability (small, spread-out populations) and reasonable resource access. Neither has strong defense numbers, but as places to hunker down and wait it out, both are underrated options.
Saskatchewan sits comfortably mid-table for Canada, with a low vulnerability score driven by one of the country’s most rural and dispersed populations, offset by weak defense infrastructure. Manitoba is similar, slightly dragged down by Winnipeg’s urban density and transit use.
Alberta and British Columbia are the continental divide of Canadian survival. Alberta is the better option of the two due to a higher firearms rate and lower vulnerability, but at 3.65% and 3.15% respectively, neither is a place you want to be. B.C.’s combination of urbanisation, low gun ownership, and minimal military presence makes it the second-worst province in the country. And Ontario, as noted, is simply a write-off.
The broader pattern across Canada is consistent: the further from a major city you are, the better your chances. The problem is that most Canadians live in or around those cities, which is precisely what the vulnerability scores are capturing.
Methodology
The Zombie Apocalypse Survival Index was built using four pillars: Vulnerability (population density, urbanisation rate, and public transit usage), Defense (firearms per 1,000 residents, military base count, and veterans per 100,000 residents), Resources (healthcare capacity per 1,000 residents and combined big-box store density across Costco, Home Depot, Lowe’s/Rona, and Walmart), and Physicality (obesity rate and average annual temperature, with colder climates scored favourably on the basis that freezing conditions would significantly impair zombie mobility).
All metrics were min-max normalised to a 0-100 scale across the full combined U.S. and Canadian dataset. The Final Index was calculated as: 40% Defense + 20% Vulnerability + 20% Resources + 20% Physicality. Survival odds were derived by applying each location’s index score as a multiplier against a 5% global base rate, scaled against the mean index score across all 64 locations.
Population data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau and Statistics Canada. All other sources are detailed in the full dataset.
