United States

This article is about the location from the HBO series. For its appearance in the video game series, see United States.

United States
General information
Type	Country
Location	North America
Points of interest	Georgia Kansas Massachusetts Maryland Missouri Michigan Nebraska Texas Wyoming
Notable inhabitants	FEDRA (government remnants) Infected Survivors
Appears in	HBO's The Last of Us

The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a largely destroyed and mostly lawless country located in North America, situated north of Mexico and south of Canada. It is the main setting of HBO's The Last of Us.

Government

After the Cordyceps brain infection outbreak ravaged the nation in 2003, the U.S. government declared martial law in order to contain the outbreak. FEDRA, in conjunction with the U.S. military, was tasked with managing the outbreak and preserving society by any means necessary. FEDRA subsequently replaced the civilian political leadership and other state organs of the U.S. government. They utilized the military's significant capabilities to set up fortified quarantine zones in major population centers across the United States, separating the remaining population from the hordes of infected that roamed the nation.

Bombing campaigns took place in many major cities, as well as some attempts to secure critical infrastructure in rural areas. Not everyone was let into the quarantine zones, since there were not enough spaces and some civilians were often culled.

From early on, the remnants of the government were only able to project their power a short distance from the quarantine zones, leaving most of the United States as a lawless no man's land. Despite their efforts, the legitimacy of the FEDRA-led government was contested by many paramilitary groups, like the Washington Liberation Front, the Kansas City resistance, and the Fireflies. According to Eugene Lynden, there were also small regional groups in the West, all trying to fight FEDRA, and how "unsmart" it was that they didn't just join together. One of those groups was the Washington Liberation Front, themselves. These groups efforts meant some sectors of the United States were under their control by 2023. However, much of the country was still infested with infected, leaving many survivors to form their own settlements detached from the cities, with several forming communities in the countryside where the infected were minimal in number.

States

Colorado

David's and his group settled in Silver Lake. They fled there after the collapse of the Pittsburgh QZ and repeated raider attacks on the other locations they tried to settle in.

Georgia

According to Lee, a FEDRA soldier, FEDRA still had an operating quarantine zone in Atlanta. This zone had a factory that produced pharmaceutical medications and bullets, demonstrating that FEDRA had complex manufacturing capability 20 years into the pandemic. Furthermore, there was a Firefly unit stationed in Atlanta.

Kansas

The Ranchland Inn, in Kansas City, Kansas, was located west of the neighboring Kansas City, Missouri. Henry and Sam were buried outside of the inn following their deaths.

Massachusetts

By 2023, the Boston quarantine zone was one of the last and most heavily-fortified FEDRA-controlled cities left in the United States. A large military force was stationed there, even 20 years into the pandemic.

Maryland

After the outbreak of Cordyceps brain infection ravaged the United States, the military and FEDRA established a quarantine zone within the city of Baltimore. According to Frank, the zone fell by 2007, causing his group of ten survivors to attempt to relocate to the Boston QZ. All except Frank died along the way.

Michigan

Tess used to live in Detroit with her family before they perished during the Cordyceps brain infection outbreak.

Missouri

FEDRA managed to establish a quarantine zone in Kansas City. By 2023, a successful revolt had occurred in order to overthrow FEDRA. The city's resistance was led by Kathleen and Perry.

Nebraska

Prior to the Cordyceps outbreak, Maria Miller, along with her son Kevin, lived in the city of Omaha, where she worked as an assistant district attorney.

New Mexico

Dina and her family lived in a cabin north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, along with other families scattered around the nearby area. When she was eight years old, she killed a raider who killed her mother and sister.

Pennsylvania

A FEDRA quarantine zone was established in Pittsburgh early in the outbreak. The zone collapsed in 2017 due to intense fighting between FEDRA and the Fireflies, causing David and a few others to relocate, before meeting with more survivors.

Texas

Joel, Tommy, and Joel's daughter Sarah Miller all lived in the suburbs of Austin, Texas, prior to the Cordyceps brain infection outbreak.

Utah

The Fireflies set up their headquarters and research center in St. Mary's Hospital, Salt Lake City.

Washington

Seattle has a quarantine zone that was previously controlled by FEDRA, before the Washington Liberation Front (WLF) took control of the city sometime between 2018 and 2024. The Seraphites also formed and lived there by 2019, becoming embroiled in a war with the WLF.

Wisconsin

Prior to the Cordyceps brain infection outbreak, Milwaukee was the most populous city in the Midwestern state of Wisconsin, located in the southeastern region of the state. Seth lived here and worked as a police officer for the Milwaukee Police Department.

Wyoming

Tommy and Maria lived there in Jackson by 2023. Tommy communicated with Joel for a time by radio, sending transmissions via Abe in Boston using the Cody Radio Tower.

The city of Cody, Wyoming was overrun with infected. The city of Laramie, Wyoming, and the Wind River Indian Reservation were also mentioned to be overrun with infected.