If surviving an impending zombie apocalypse tops your Halloween to-do list, Chicago may not be your safest bet, according to a new study released Thursday.
Chicago-based CareerBuilder and EMSI teamed up to find which cities are most and least likely to survive a zombie attack, and our city performed poorly as a safe haven in World War Z.
The study ranked the 53 largest U.S. metropolitan areas “based on their occupational skills and industry characteristics."
Criteria included factors like a city's ability to defend against and contain the virus, ability to outlast the epidemic, ample food supply and likelihood to find a cure.
Chicago came in at number five on the list of the 10 cities least likely to survive a zombie apocalypse, according to the report. Overall, Chicago ranked 49 out of the 53 cities examined for preparedness in a hypothetical zombie attack.
The five highest ranking cities on the list:
Boston
Salt Lake City
Columbus, Ohio
Baltimore
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Local
The five lowest ranking cities on the list:
New York
Tampa, Florida
Los Angeles
Riverside-San Bernardino, California
Chicago
Though the results may be disheartening for Chicagoans who prefer to leave the fight against the flesh-eating virus to others, Chicago’s low ranking is a call to arms for those wishing to channel their inner Rick Grimes from the Walking Dead in the event of an attack.
See the full map above.
