OKAY So this depends A LOT on random selection vs . choice . Choice selection favors large populations while random favors poor rural populations . Choice selection , I ' d go with Texas , because of the HUGE sports culture . Loser is probably Delaware other low population states seem pretty hardy we ' ll see some of them when I talk about random choice but Delaware is urban , only one of the most common jobs listed on wikipedia with survival application is chicken farmer . Hell , they might lose random choice too . NOW as I ' ve said , random choice favors rural areas and poor populations people who actually have to fend for themselves a bit already . There are only four states where you are more likely to pick a rural tribute than an urban one Maine , Vermont , West Virginia , and Mississippi . These are ALL strong contenders . I ' m going to also stick Alaska onto this list because of extreme conditions even in urban areas . Of these , Mississippi is the poorest , so the fend for yourself stat is the highest , but West Virginia is right there with it . Maine is the most rural , and Vermont only beats it in urban population by . 2 %. Of the two , Maine has military involvement and a coastline in it ' s favor , and it is poorer per capita . Vermont is distinct among the very rural states for having one of the best education systems nationally , which could work in its favor . Overall , I ' d say Alaska wins in an extremeweather arena , Vermont wins in a trickier arena , Maine wins in a coldrural arena and West Virginia and Mississippi are basically a tossup in a warmer arena . I ' m with Maine winning the most overallNow who loses ? Which state is most likely to randomly select a dud ? I ' m going to start with high percapita incomes , high urban populations , and low military involvement . While Maine and Vermont are top choices , the rest of the Northeast doesn ' t fare so well . Massachusetts , New York , Connecticut , and New Jersey all seem like losers to me , with a shoutout to California on the west coast . Of these , Massachussettes seems to fail in the most ways . SOME NOTES 1 I come from Vermont so I may be putting too much weight in ruralness as a positive factor . I think certain poor urban populations are just as tough but IDK . 2 I ignored a lot of states because I can ' t recognize them on a map 3 Richness would actually be an advantage if the hunger games were preestablished because richer people would receive combat training . 4 If Washington DC counts as a state , it loses . No question .