We’ve all fantasized about how we would survive the zombie apocalypse (haven’t we?), but for many, that plan doesn’t go beyond surviving the initial breakout and period of chaos. But once the dust settles and it’s time to seek out the last vestiges of civilization, where do you and your rugged-but-lovable band of misfits go?
To help with this decision, CareerBuilder has put together an index ranking the country’s largest cities’ likelihood of surviving a zombie outbreak.
How it Works
Based on the occupational and industrial makeup of its workforce, each city receives a score for four essential zombie survival categories – Defense, Containment, Cure and Food.
Defense – This category is based on a city’s concentration of military and protective services occupations as well as availability of small arms.
Containment – While high concentrations of engineering and construction occupations will score a city points in this category, cities with highly dense populations stand to lose points. A lot of people packed tightly together make it very easy for the zombie plague to spread.
Cure – When it comes to the zombie apocalypse, there’s a difference between winning and not losing. Defense can help you win battles with the zombie hordes, but finding a cure? That’s how you win the war.
Food – The living dead aren’t the only threat in this harsh new world. Survivors may have escaped the zombies’ hunger, but they still must fend off their own. Bulk production and packaging of non-perishable foods provide the nourishment the last of humanity needs to keep going.
The sum of these scores indicates how likely the city is to make it through the rise of the living dead.
The Results
Thanks in no small part to a large number of biotechnology and medical research workers, Boston is the most likely city to produce a cure for the zombie plague. Top marks in the Cure category, along with strong Defense and Containment scores, make Boston humanity’s best hope for surviving the dawn of the dead.
Check out the chart below to see how your hometown stacks up:
MSA
Defense Score
Containment Score
Cure Score
Food Score
Total Score
Final Rank
Boston, MA
13.69
11.05
20
3.59
48.33
1
Kansas City, MO
23.38
10.02
4.53
3.10
41.03
2
Salt Lake City, UT
8.29
18.61
10.49
3.62
41.01
3
Baltimore, MD
17.55
7.68
11.56
2.79
39.58
4
San Diego, CA
16.44
9.89
11.69
1.41
39.43
5
Seattle, WA
9.58
17.86
8.45
1.99
37.88
6
Denver, CO
7.82
20.03
6.39
3.58
37.82
7
Virginia Beach, VA
22.38
10.61
2.76
1.79
37.54
8
Hartford, CT
17.28
9.07
5.80
3.32
35.47
9
Minneapolis, MN
17.51
8.19
5.57
3.94
35.21
10
Indianapolis, IN
8.73
9.39
10.79
5.01
33.92
11
Richmond, VA
14.61
11.16
4.73
3.38
33.89
12
Grand Rapids, MI
0.08
9.73
2.08
20
31.89
13
San Francisco, CA
6.43
8.97
14.86
1.48
31.73
14
Portland, OR
3.71
13.41
6.35
8.01
31.48
15
Washington, D.C.
16.55
7.96
6.80
0
31.31
16
Sacramento, CA
8.80
12.29
4.77
4.99
30.85
17
Pittsburgh, PA
5.98
13.38
7.26
3.60
30.22
18
San Jose, CA
5.74
15.02
8.17
1.09
30.02
19
Raleigh, NC
7.70
12.22
4.89
4.18
28.98
20
Orlando, FL
9.44
9.55
3.53
6.03
28.55
21
Memphis, TN
14.07
2.96
5.15
6.26
28.43
22
Louisville, KY
11.56
6.76
2.03
8.04
28.39
23
Cleveland, OH
10.36
4.24
8.02
5.32
27.93
24
Birmingham, AL
9.84
6.73
5.29
5.51
27.37
25
Oklahoma City, OK
8.25
10.69
6.53
1.55
27.01
26
St. Louis, MO
13.96
8.24
2.99
1.62
26.81
27
Houston, TX
6.08
15.92
2.71
1.37
26.09
28
New Orleans, LA
13.55
8.85
2.12
1.23
25.75
29
Phoenix, AZ
12.81
7.39
1.96
3.44
25.59
30
Charlotte, NC
8.65
6.12
0.50
9.78
25.06
31
Las Vegas, NV
15.84
6.20
0.68
1.44
24.16
32
Columbus, OH
7.88
7.59
6.03
2.50
24.01
33
Providence, RI
8.82
5.37
4.19
4.85
23.23
34
Austin, TX
5.83
12.13
4.45
0.70
23.11
35
Cincinnati, OH
5.46
5.63
5.16
6.62
22.87
36
Rochester, NY
5.16
4.92
3.87
8.69
22.64
37
Nashville, TN
8.53
7.15
3.77
2.89
22.34
38
Milwaukee, WI
6.29
7.48
4.09
3.95
21.81
39
Dallas, TX
7.66
7.50
2.12
4.53
21.80
40
San Antonio, TX
9.88
4.27
1.95
5.48
21.58
41
Philadelphia, PA
8.53
1.18
7.46
3.90
21.07
42
Jacksonville, FL
11.40
6.04
1.63
1.27
20.33
43
Detroit, MI
2.03
14.50
2.10
1.32
19.94
44
Chicago, IL
9.74
0.63
2.34
6.73
19.44
45
Tucson, AZ
10.88
1.59
6.40
0.52
19.40
46
Buffalo, NY
10.23
3.35
3.38
1.83
18.80
47
Atlanta, GA
6.73
5.87
2.65
3.30
18.56
48
Miami, FL
12.67
1.10
1.57
2.78
18.11
49
Riverside, CA
4.44
4.99
0
7.30
16.72
50
Los Angeles, CA
7.37
0.68
3.89
1.70
13.65
51
Tampa, FL
6.07
2.33
2.97
1.52
12.89
52
New York City, NY
12.44
-10.08
4.33
1.99
8.69
53