4 recommended · 14 strong · 21 selective · 12 not recommended. Hover or tap a state; click to keep its details open. Population is the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 estimate over land area.
Every state
Ranked for
holding.
Sorted by rating, then by population density. Linked states have a full Styrkholm land guide.
| State | Rating | People / sq mi | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | Recommended | 6.1 | Wildfire; extreme cold and wind; a Minuteman missile field in the southeast |
| Montana | Recommended | 7.8 | Wildfire; extreme cold; a Minuteman missile field in central Montana |
| Idaho | Recommended | 24.2 | Wildfire; earthquakes in the central mountains |
| Utah | Recommended | 42.5 | Earthquakes along the Wasatch Front; drought; wildfire |
| North Dakota | Strong | 11.5 | Extreme cold and blizzards; drought; a Minuteman missile field in the north |
| South Dakota | Strong | 12.2 | Blizzards; tornadoes; drought |
| Oregon | Strong | 44.5 | Cascadia earthquake and tsunami west of the Cascades; wildfire |
| Maine | Strong | 45.6 | Extreme cold; nor'easters |
| Colorado | Strong | 57.5 | Wildfire; drought |
| Vermont | Strong | 70.4 | Flooding; extreme cold |
| Minnesota | Strong | 72.8 | Extreme cold; tornadoes in the south; flooding |
| West Virginia | Strong | 73.6 | Flooding; landslides |
| Missouri | Strong | 90.8 | Tornadoes; flooding; New Madrid seismic zone in the southeast |
| Wisconsin | Strong | 110.0 | Extreme cold; tornadoes in the south |
| Washington | Strong | 119.8 | Cascadia earthquake and volcanoes west of the Cascades; wildfire |
| New Hampshire | Strong | 157.4 | Extreme cold; ice storms |
| Tennessee | Strong | 175.3 | Tornadoes; flooding; New Madrid seismic zone in the west |
| Michigan | Strong | 179.1 | Extreme cold; lake-effect snow |
| Alaska | Selective | 1.3 | Earthquakes; extreme cold; long supply lines |
| New Mexico | Selective | 17.6 | Drought; wildfire |
| Nebraska | Selective | 26.1 | Tornadoes; blizzards; drought |
| Nevada | Selective | 29.7 | Extreme drought; earthquakes; heat |
| Kansas | Selective | 36.3 | Tornadoes; drought; hail |
| Iowa | Selective | 58.0 | Tornadoes; flooding; derechos |
| Arkansas | Selective | 59.4 | Tornadoes; flooding; New Madrid seismic zone in the northeast |
| Oklahoma | Selective | 59.7 | Tornadoes; drought; earthquakes |
| Mississippi | Selective | 62.7 | Hurricanes on the coast; tornadoes; flooding |
| Arizona | Selective | 66.7 | Extreme heat; drought; wildfire |
| Alabama | Selective | 101.8 | Tornadoes; hurricanes on the coast; flooding |
| Kentucky | Selective | 116.2 | Flooding; tornadoes; New Madrid seismic zone in the west |
| Texas | Selective | 119.8 | Hurricanes on the coast; extreme heat; drought; an isolated power grid |
| South Carolina | Selective | 182.2 | Hurricanes; earthquakes near Charleston |
| Indiana | Selective | 193.3 | Tornadoes; flooding |
| Georgia | Selective | 193.7 | Hurricanes on the coast; tornadoes |
| Virginia | Selective | 223.2 | Hurricanes on the coast |
| North Carolina | Selective | 227.2 | Hurricanes and flooding in the east |
| Ohio | Selective | 290.8 | Tornadoes; flooding |
| Pennsylvania | Selective | 292.3 | Flooding |
| New York | Selective | 421.6 | Nor'easters; extreme cold upstate |
| Louisiana | Not recommended | 106.4 | Hurricanes; flooding; subsidence |
| Hawaii | Not recommended | 225.2 | Hurricanes; volcanoes; tsunamis |
| Illinois | Not recommended | 229.0 | Tornadoes; flooding; New Madrid seismic zone in the south |
| California | Not recommended | 253.0 | Earthquakes; wildfire; drought |
| Florida | Not recommended | 435.6 | Hurricanes; flooding; sea-level rise |
| Delaware | Not recommended | 539.8 | Coastal flooding; hurricanes |
| Maryland | Not recommended | 644.9 | Hurricanes; flooding |
| Connecticut | Not recommended | 758.9 | Nor'easters; hurricanes |
| Massachusetts | Not recommended | 914.8 | Nor'easters; hurricanes |
| Rhode Island | Not recommended | 1075.8 | Hurricanes; nor'easters |
| New Jersey | Not recommended | 1291.8 | Hurricanes; flooding |
| District of Columbia | Not recommended | 11488.6 | Flooding |
This map is general planning information, not legal, engineering or insurance advice. Hazards vary within every state; a specific parcel can be far better or worse than its state. Water law summaries are simplified; confirm rights with the state engineer or water resources office.
Questions
About
the map.
How did Styrkholm rate each state?
We weigh what decides whether a compound can hold a family through a full winter: how many people live nearby, whether water can be secured permanently, natural hazards, terrain and timber, growing season, permitting, and distance from likely targets and major metros. The rating is our planning view, not a guarantee. Every parcel is vetted on its own.
Why are Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Utah recommended?
They combine low population outside a few cities, prior-appropriation water law that lets you secure a senior right, abundant national forest and BLM land, defensible mountain terrain, and building climates we know well. Styrkholm is based in Utah and builds across the Mountain West.
Can I still build in a state rated Selective or Not recommended?
Often yes, on the right parcel. A Selective state usually has strong regions and real tradeoffs. We will tell you plainly what a site can and cannot hold before you commit.
Where does the population data come from?
Population is the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 state estimate. Land area is from the Census Bureau 2020 Gazetteer. People per square mile is population divided by land area.
Let us find the land.
We search privately, on and off market, and verify water, access and permitting before you commit.