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All the ‘safest states’ to live in if WW3 broke out
Home>News>US News
Updated 17:30 5 Mar 2026 GMTPublished 17:28 5 Mar 2026 GMT

All the ‘safest states’ to live in if WW3 broke out

The simulation models a nuclear attack on US missile silo fields in a worst-case scenario from a specific day in 2021

Anish Vij

Anish Vij

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A nuclear simulation has shown the 'safest states to live in' if the worst were to happen.

WW3 speculation is on the rise following the ongoing US-Israeli missile strikes on Russian ally Iran.

Newsweek have drawn up a map which estimates the cumulative radiation dose each state of the US could receive following a Russian attack on intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silo fields over a four-day period.

These fields are located in mainly Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana and North Dakota.

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Researchers from Scientific American modelled the detonation of one or two nuclear warheads with yields of about 100 kilotons of TNT—an amount considered sufficient to destroy a missile silo.

The study compares an average scenario with a worst-case scenario based on wind patterns from a specific day in 2021.

Researchers have warned that 'nowhere is truly safe' in a nuclear war (Getty Stock Images)
Researchers have warned that 'nowhere is truly safe' in a nuclear war (Getty Stock Images)

'Safest states to live in'

  • Maine
  • New Hampshire
  • Vermont
  • Massachusetts
  • Rhode Island
  • Connecticut
  • New York
  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
  • Delaware
  • Maryland
  • District of Columbia
  • Virginia
  • West Virginia
  • North Carolina
  • South Carolina
  • Georgia
  • Florida
  • Alabama
  • Mississippi
  • Tennessee
  • Kentucky
  • Ohio
  • Indiana
  • Michigan
Some American states might be safer than others (Getty Stock Images)
Some American states might be safer than others (Getty Stock Images)

Other less affected states

  • Washington
  • Oregon
  • Idaho
  • Nevada
  • California
  • Utah
  • Arizona
  • New Mexico
  • Texas
  • Arkansas
  • Illinois

"While those who live near military facilities, ICBM silos in the Midwest or submarine bases along the coasts might bear the most immediate and severe consequences of a nuclear attack, there's no question: any nuclear war or weapons detonation would be bad for everyone," John Erath, the Senior Policy Director for the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, told the outlet.

"Nowhere is truly 'safe' from fallout and other consequences like contamination of food and water supplies and prolonged radiation exposure," he said.

President Trump said there would have been a nuclear war if the US and Israel didn't attack Iran (The White House via X Account/Anadolu via Getty Images)
President Trump said there would have been a nuclear war if the US and Israel didn't attack Iran (The White House via X Account/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"Administrations of both parties have long understood nuclear weapons are only for defense and deterrence, not for starting a nuclear war.

"We would all do well to remember former President Ronald Reagan's words, recently reaffirmed by President Joe Biden: 'A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.'"

Two places that might be safe from nuclear war

A full-scale nuclear war between the US and Russia could kill 360 million people directly and more than five billion people could die as a consequence.

Annie Jacobsen, author of Nuclear War: A Scenario, previously shared the two places on Earth that might be safe in the event of a nuclear war.

Speaking on Steven Bartlett's The Diary Of A CEO, the Pulitzer Prize winner said: "There's one tiny little place, New Zealand, and a little bit of Australia."

She explained that when agriculture fails, 'we have a nuclear winter', which means that 'the sun gets blocked out'.

"There's large bodies up in the mid latitudes are frozen over in sheets of ice. And when you have all the billions of people dying, it's because agriculture fails," the expert said.

"And it is said by those who study this, the authors of Nuclear Winter, that there are some areas in Australia and New Zealand which would remain viable.

"But you're talking about kind of hunter gatherer type people."

She went on to reveal that a group of billionaires have told her that they've built bunkers in New Zealand.

Featured Image Credit: Getty/Jena Ardell

Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics

Anish Vij
Anish Vij

Anish is a Journalist at LADbible Group and is a GG2 Young Journalist of the Year 2025. He has a Master's degree in Multimedia Journalism and a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management. Apart from that, his life revolves around the ‘Four F’s’ - family, friends, football and food. Email: [email protected]

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@Anish_Vij

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