Where you build decides more than what you build. A perfect shelter on the wrong ground inherits every problem of that ground: crowds, water conflicts, floods, quakes and long supply lines.
How we rate a state
We look at four things, in this order:
- Water law. Whether a household can secure a permanent, legal water supply, and how hard that is.
- Population density. Fewer people per square mile means fewer competing demands on roads, water and supplies in a crisis.
- Natural hazards. Earthquake, flood, wildfire, hurricane and tornado exposure, and how much each costs to design around.
- Room to build. Affordable acreage, workable soil and terrain, and building rules that allow below-grade construction.
The result is a four-tier rating, Recommended, Strong, Selective and Not recommended, shown for every state on the HOLM map.
The four Recommended states
| State | People per sq mi (2020) | Water law | Main hazards to plan for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | 6.1 | Prior appropriation; domestic wells need a permit, usually issued in one to two weeks | Wildfire, extreme cold and wind, a Minuteman missile field in the southeast |
| Montana | 7.8 | Prior appropriation; small wells exempt up to 35 gpm and 10 acre-feet a year | Wildfire, extreme cold, a Minuteman missile field in central Montana |
| Idaho | 24.2 | Prior appropriation; domestic wells exempt up to 13,000 gallons a day | Wildfire, earthquakes in the central mountains, groundwater curtailment on the Snake Plain |
| Utah | 42.5 | Prior appropriation; no exempt domestic well | Earthquakes along the Wasatch Front, drought, wildfire |
Wyoming and Montana are the emptiest; Idaho pairs a domestic well exemption with farmland; Utah is our home ground, with quiet country beyond a single crowded corridor. Each has a state guide: Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah.
Why water outranks everything
In the western states, water is a property right separate from the land. Utah has no exempt domestic well, so a water right must be secured before you build. Idaho allows exempt household wells, yet in May 2026 the state ordered curtailment of 924 groundwater rights on the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer. A beautiful parcel without secure water is not a compound site. See water rights before you buy land.
Strong states, chosen by region
Fourteen states rate Strong. In each, a region works well and the rest of the state does not: the Western Slope of Colorado rather than the Front Range, eastern Oregon and Washington rather than the coast, the Ozarks, the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee, the Black Hills, northern New England and the North Woods. These are good projects when the search is narrowed to the right counties.
Where we do not recommend building
We rate eleven states and the District of Columbia Not recommended, including California, Florida, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Illinois. Density is the common thread: New Jersey has about 1,292 people per square mile and Massachusetts about 915, against 6 in Wyoming. Hurricane and flood exposure adds to it along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. A shelter can be built anywhere, but a compound meant to stand on its own needs distance from crowds and a supply it controls.
The parcel still decides
A state rating narrows the search; it does not pick the land. Within any state, the water right, the soil, the access road, the wildfire fuel load and the distance to the nearest town decide whether a parcel works. Score a specific property with the Land Scorecard.
Key takeaways
- We weigh population density, water law, natural hazards and room to build.
- Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah rate Recommended on our map.
- Water law can matter more than any other factor.
- A state rating narrows the search; the parcel decides the project.
This guide is general information to help you plan. It is not engineering, legal or water-rights advice, and requirements vary by state and county. Every Styrkholm project is designed by licensed professionals for the specific site.