Prepping Statistics and Demographics
There are several sources of data for prepping, survival, and preparedness, but they all have their limitations. Limited sample sizes, responses, and dirty data can happen with any study. This is why many of the statistics and data-derived information you find for cultural responses can vary so much between sources. We’ve conducted surveys and have seen the challenges firsthand.
To overcome this variance between sources, we’ve opted to start aggregating sources for this statistics and demographics roundup. Combining multiple studies (and population samples) is much more statistically significant than relying on a single study. Many of the studies we’ve been keeping our eyes on ask similar questions anyway- so it just comes down to someone to collate and interpret the lake of data.
And that’s where we come in. We’ve crunched the numbers from all of the most recent surveys and combined them into easy-to-follow prepping statistics, demographics, and facts. In our latest update, we went back and added several more years to the preparedness comparison graph and included a backup data repository for the now-missing FEMA NHS data.
Contents (Jump to a Section)
The latest update added the recently released 2024 FEMA summary report data on overall preparedness trends that were just released in 2025.
How Many People Are Preppers?
There is a wide range of results you’ll find for this number, but as usual, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Here are some key estimates before we share our best approximation:
FEMA Prepper Estimate
The FEMA household survey data gives us three strong indicators that can help us find preppers in the mix: people who are continuously preparing, have high preparedness efficacy according to the broad survey result, and are self-sufficient for a large period of time.
Using the self-identification metrics from other polls and studies, we can generally say that the FEMA estimate for the number of preppers is about 1/3 of the extrapolated continuously preparing, high efficacy adult population: 25.8 million preppers in America.
Here is how I broke it down:
FEMA Continuously Preparing, High Efficacy Stats
The 2023 FEMA Survey shows that 30.3% of household respondents chose ‘Continuously Preparing’ and scored ‘High’ on Individual Preparedness Efficacy- both of these indicate prepper behavior. This number, extrapolated to the 2025 US adult population, yields 78.2 million adults, which could easily be considered the ceiling for the number of preppers in America.
FEMA Self-Sufficiency Stats
For the self-sufficiency part of the survey, 69% of respondents in 2024 have assembled emergency supplies, but only 18% of those claim they can last more than one month on their own. The resulting percentage is 12.5% of respondents who have emergency supplies to last over a month, a telltale sign of a prepper. This number, extrapolated to the US adult population, yields 32.3 million adults, another upper bound that can further help define the FEMA estimate.
Overestimation vs Underestimation
Using these large numbers would be an overestimate, because being a prepper is a self-identified trait. Many people who are readily prepared may not consider themselves a ‘prepper’ for social or other reasons. We’ve defined what a prepper is and how it is different than general preparedness.
Dr. Chris Ellis, Disaster Preparedness Specialist
Col. Ellis of the US Army told Reuters recently that he has tracked the prepper movement’s growth to 20 million people in 2024. Like us, he has delved deeply into the FEMA household survey data and attributes the growth to people exploring ways to be ‘climate proof’ and people just wanting to ‘regain their agency.’
Our Prepper Estimate
Considering all of the sources and studies available, we believe the current prepper count to be about 23.4 million preppers in the US, or approximately 9.1% of the US adult population. This is significantly higher than it was a decade ago, and we expect to see this grow for a wide range of causes.
We’ve also taken our estimates to other countries, understanding the cultural and societal reasons why they are lower compared to the US. Demographic differences (and how those play a role in people self-identifying as preppers) helped us to approximate:
- Canada: 2.4 million preppers
- United Kingdom: 1.3 million preppers
Being a ‘prepper’ is a label that doesn’t translate readily outside of North America and Europe, but hopefully, we can get more worldwide data in the future.
Incorrect Estimates
Some large news outlets have reported that a third of US adults are preppers, but 86 million preppers is a number well above the upper bound established by the reputable FEMA survey (and other reputable sources). The cited sources for these higher numbers included a suspect Finder survey and a survey claimed to be run by an online casino website.
The casino website poll had a reasonable estimate for the adult populations of the US (9% ~ 23 million preppers) and Canada (7% ~ 2 million preppers), but went on to say that 46% of adults in Nebraska and 45% in Maine are preppers. They included flat-earthers and other conspiracy groups in their survey and did not share their raw data. Their claimed poll sample size was also very small, especially once they segmented out results by state.
Larger numbers and higher percentages may get attention online, but the low-quality sources give us low-quality statistics. Unfortunately, many news outlets take these low-quality statistics at face value and run with them.
Who is Getting Prepared?
FEMA runs an annual survey polling about 3000 people in high-risk disaster-specific areas and 4000 people generally across the US. Using the general data, we can extrapolate information about the population even with such a small sample size.
Here are the last nine years’ general survey results with self-reported preparedness levels:
Many people are prepared or want to be prepared, but the stark truth is that most people aren’t. It’s encouraging that such a large proportion of the people not prepared want to be, but that same giant block of the population stays relatively the same every year.
Unfortunately, we may not see more FEMA data. Part of the justification of the National Household Survey was to evaluate preparedness demographics to better target underserved communities. This must have been interpreted as part of a DEI initiative because all of the data has been removed from the FEMA website. Luckily, the shifts in demographics over the past several years were slight, so the data we do have is still relevant.
Prepper Demographics
There are many anecdotal examples of preppers in public these days, with our growing list of celebrity preppers. The rate at which prepping is growing isn’t just indicative of a post-COVID trend, but preppers are less likely to avoid the label or avoid disclosing their preparedness.
Preppers are becoming closer to standard demographics with a normalizing range of ages, sexes, races, education levels, and political affiliations, as shown by the latest FEMA Survey data:
Prepper Ages
There has certainly been an increase in preparedness for younger ages in the US due to COVID-19, political reasons, and climate change. A significant group in that 60-69 range still remembers Cold War Civil Defense and prepared through Y2K and other potential events and regional disasters.
Racial Breakdown
The idea that ‘all preppers are white’ that I’ve heard before is simply not true. Even when you take a look at well-known preppers on YouTube, you’ll find diversity. Everyone has a place in preparedness and prepping regardless of ethnic background and racial identity.
Income Level
One of the main deterrents cited by that large portion of ‘people with intent to prepare’ is the cost of getting prepared. Many people believe that preppers have big wallets and are able to spend large amounts to be prepared.
The income level breakdown disputes this, showing that most preppers have to budget frugally to get prepared and plan carefully to meet their goals.
More Prepper Demographics
A few more basic demographics of preppers:
- A whopping 90.5% of preppers are urban preppers.
- The majority of preppers are homeowners: 73.4%
- Most preppers who are renting are apartment preppers: 54.7%
- Christians make up 38.1% of preppers, a larger portion than the total respondents (32.9%).
- 21.5% of preppers have disabilities or permanent health conditions that affect their preparedness.
- Prepared households have an average of 2.37 adults and 0.91 children.
I don’t believe the demographics of preppers have any significance other than to show newer or would-be preppers that there is diversity and that they are not isolated in any demographic in their preparedness journey.
Concerning Statistics
Some of the statistics and trends from the latest National Household Survey on Disaster Preparedness Findings have some troubling findings about how people view preparedness. Despite the growing number of preppers, there is also a growing segment not interested in preparedness that expects to be helped during emergencies.
Here are some of the most concerning statistics:
- 26% of people say preparing for disasters costs too much.
- 52% of people expect support from the federal government during emergencies.
- 71% of people expect help from family during disasters.
So while prepping continues to grow and gain traction, there is a much larger group that has written off self-sufficiency either partially or completely.
First Aid, Who Needs It?
Brace yourself for this one from the CDC:
44% of Americans don’t have first-aid kits in their homes.
This statistic just seems crazy. First aid kits are so cheap and readily available; I just take for granted that most homes would have these. Although most people do not claim to be prepared, a first aid kit on hand seems to be a basic necessity.
In America, we have some healthcare coverage and cost issues, and I’m sure the huge number of households that don’t have or use first aid kits is compounding the problem.
CPR Isn’t a Guaranteed Lifesaver
The American Heart Association had disclosed a grim statistic:
The survival rate for CPR has been calculated at 20%
While it may seem low, ‘shockable treatment’ is at a whopping 57% survival rate. This is a good reason why AEDs are a good investment for first responders, businesses, and communities. Even the 20% survival rate is great when compared to 0% when you are untrained in CPR.
Emergency Contact Numbers
The Pew Research Center has found that Americans are forgetful:
42% of Americans do not know an immediate family member’s phone number
While this sounds ridiculous, most people rely on their cell phones and the one-touch dial to contact each other. Learning an “ICE (In Case of Emergency)” phone number and making an emergency contact list is a great way to get prepared for any simple emergency.
Critical Document Copies
The CDC has another nugget about backups:
Over half of Americans do not have copies of their critical documents
Social Security cards, birth certificates, passports, and photo IDs are all important to have if you are bugging out, displaced, or just need them in an emergency. Waterproof and even better: fireproof pouches are great for stashing these items where you can grab them in a hurry.
Sources and References
It’s always a good idea to grab info from a variety of reliable sources, regardless of your end goal. We got our stats from these surveys, papers, and books.
- FEMA National Household Surveys Data – “FEMA and the Federal Government cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency’s website.”
- Disaster Resilience: A National Imperative (Print Book) by National Academies, Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy.
- CDC surveys
- AHA statistics
- Pew Research Center
- Brooks, B. (2024). US ‘prepper’ culture diversifies amid fear of disaster and political unrest. Reuters. (Source)
- Fetterman, A., et al. (2019). On Post–Apocalyptic and Doomsday Prepping Beliefs: A New Measure, Its Correlates, and the Motivation to Prep. European Journal of Personality. Volume 33. Issue 4. (Source)
The FEMA NHS datasets are no longer listed on their website as of February 2025. We have stored copies of the data, so please contact us if you are a journalist, researcher, student, or have an interest in the entire data set. We’ll send it to you using WeTransfer.
The Final Word
Statistics can either be boring and mundane or a tool you can use to convince others of the importance of prepping. Some do not care for the numbers or the bigger picture and are better swayed by anecdotal stories. This is where sharing your own experiences can help. I prefer to use numbers and my personal experiences together to share how important being prepared actually is.
Our readers have also found these articles interesting:
- What is Prepping and What is a Prepper?
- The 50 Best Prepper Quotes – Survival Motivation
- How to Start Prepping | Prepper 101
Keep exploring, stay prepared, and be safe.
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These stats are powerful and a little disturbing. People are too dependent in the infrastructure that will fail in a SHTF situation. Great post. I plan to do a few things after reading. First get important contact information on a card that each family member can keep other than on their smartphones. Also buy a few extra first aid kits. :)
I don’t know about all those “urban” preppers.
You’d think the first thing about prepping would be to leave all those urban areas.
I start my career as a Goat keeper tomorrow when I pick up my two young Nannies and the one unrelated Billy as the beginnings of my herd. Milk and Meat of course.
Does this make me a prepper?
I’d like to think so.
I’ve been keeping Hens for five years now. Gotta love those eggs. But I cannot “free range” the birds as they die so easily. Too many Foxes, Racoons, Hawks, and even the Rats will kill young birds.
So I built a bigger barn.
Speaking of young birds, I just picked up 20 Meat Chicks. I’ll raise them big barring all catastrophe. 10-12 lbs dressed.
Post SHTF and I’ll be left with the culled Roosters I hatch. “Tough birds”, only fit for soups and sandwiches. And don’t ask me how I know.
My small White Table Grapes will produce this year, not much, but still, … fresh Raisins!
And two branches of the “Four in One” Apple Tree had blossoms this year and are starting to grow apples. No Honeycrisp but the Spartan Apple is known for Baking and making Apple Sauce if I remember right.
That’s prepper material isn’t it?
The Four in One Cherry tree is just planted and I planted a new “Italian Prune” tree to replace the one that didn’t make it.
And I’m an “old man”. I may never see those prunes. Just saying.
My biggest “threat” as a prepper are the unprepared of course, and even being very rural as I am, I’m surrounded by them.
Nasty creatures those unprepared people are and they are not even aware of that fact. But give it time, they’ll soon understand after any kind of inevitable collapse.
I believe we are all in the process of that “collapse” right now. Slow but sure eh?
Just know that the first “law” of desperate people is, “If You Can Take It, It’s Your’s”, and those filthy creatures will harm you to prove that “law” is valid.
But as I understand it, “laws” are for idiots.
In my reality, there’s nothing stopping people from doing what they will do anyway. Lawful or otherwise.
How can a true prepper trust anyone who is not prepared? Desperate people do desperate things.
Good luck, not that it will help us all now.
Urban preppers because actually there are a lot of resources in cities. And another rule you forgot, communities are support, and support is a key strategy in survival.
It’s too bad you didn’t cite the actual source of this data, which was probably intentional because you don’t want to admit you plagiarized a competitor. Dr. Ellis’ original reporting is on The Prepared.
We listed all our data sources, including the same FEMA data The Prepared used to make their article in 2021. We’ve also included the more recent FEMA data in our statistics. We referenced Dr. Ellis’ 2024 Reuters interview (and cited it in our source section), which would be tough to plagiarize from the much older post from The Prepared.
Also, you may have noticed that there is a comment on this post from 2017. We wrote on this subject long before The Prepared existed and update it as FEMA releases their updated survey data.
Writing about the same subject with much more up-to-date data and references certainly isn’t plagiarism. We’re real people writing these articles and guides and pride ourselves on writing integrity. We’ve never plagiarized a competitor or used AI to rewrite copy. The Prepared is a fantastic prepping site and preparedness resource, but you’ve put your foot in your mouth here.
This is Dr. Chris Ellis. I’m glad you cited my work and I’m happy that your overall methodology using FEMA data is an honest look at the information, making best guesses and inferences based upon what is available. If you are interested, my book on this topic is now available for order, Resilient Citizens.
If you’d like to chat, please let me know.