Study: Atlanta's Not Ready For The Zombie Apocalypse

ATLANTA, GA — On locally filmed "The Walking Dead," Atlanta quickly turns into a harrowing wasteland when the zombie apocalypse hits.

But would real-life Atlanta fare any better if the undead started roaming the earth? One new study says not so much.

Atlanta ranked 48th out of the 53 largest U.S. cities in what CareerBuilder assures us is "a totally practical and 100 percent feasible study" released just in time for Halloween.

The jobs site's study measured survival rates of various cities based on the careers and industries in those cities.

With the assumption that we're looking at a flesh-eating virus transmitted by biting or contact with infected blood, the study looked at eight different factors in four categories:

• ability to defend against the virus
• ability to contain the virus
• ability to find a cure
• ability to outlast the epidemic with an ample food supply

So, presumably, having lots of doctors and scientists would make a city more likely to find a cure, while having a bunch of farmers would help outlast the plague with enough to eat.

So, where did Atlanta go wrong?

Our "Cure Score" was the city's lowest, earning Atlanta only 2.65 points toward its total of 18.56. (We're guessing the fact that the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention sits just outside city limits hurt us on this one.)

Second lowest was Atlanta's "Food Score" — a similarly measly 3.3.

So, which cities does CareerBuilder think are better suited to withstand the zombie hordes?

The top five finishers in the study were Boston, Kansas City, Missouri, Salt Lake City, Baltimore and San Diego.

And coming in dead last? New York City finished 53rd, scoring only 8.69 zombie-proofing points.

Atlanta will also fare marginally better than Miami, Riverside, California, Los Angeles and Tampa when the zombies come for us, the study says.

Photo via AMC.com