Earthquake Risk in Alaska
All Alaska counties ranked by FEMA National Risk Index earthquake score
Earthquake risk — ground shaking from sudden movement along geologic faults — is rated for 30 of 30 Alaska counties in FEMA's National Risk Index. Anchorage Municipality carries the state's highest earthquake score at 99.5, with $353M in expected annual earthquake losses.
3 Alaska counties are rated High or Very High for earthquake, and expected annual losses from earthquake total roughly $664M statewide. The full ranking below links to each county's complete 18-hazard risk profile.
County Rankings — Earthquake
| # | County | Earthquake Score | Rating | Ann. Freq. | Ann. Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anchorage Municipality | High | 0.16 / yr | $353M | |
| 2 | Matanuska-Susitna Borough | High | 0.20 / yr | $131M | |
| 3 | Kenai Peninsula Borough | High | 0.19 / yr | $87M | |
| 4 | Fairbanks North Star Borough | Medium | 0.08 / yr | $55M | |
| 5 | Kodiak Island Borough | Medium | 0.13 / yr | $14M | |
| 6 | Aleutians West Census Area | Low | 0.43 / yr | $6M | |
| 7 | Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | Low | 0.05 / yr | $2M | |
| 8 | Sitka City and Borough | Low | 0.05 / yr | $2M | |
| 9 | Chugach Census Area | Low | 0.13 / yr | $3M | |
| 10 | Juneau City and Borough | Low | 0.02 / yr | $2M | |
| 11 | Lake and Peninsula Borough | Low | 0.15 / yr | $919K | |
| 12 | Denali Borough | Low | 0.11 / yr | $2M | |
| 13 | Copper River Census Area | Low | 0.11 / yr | $874K | |
| 14 | Yakutat City and Borough | Low | 0.18 / yr | $755K | |
| 15 | Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | Low | 0.09 / yr | $647K | |
| 16 | Dillingham Census Area | Low | 0.04 / yr | $681K | |
| 17 | Aleutians East Borough | Low | 0.16 / yr | $598K | |
| 18 | Nome Census Area | Low | 0.02 / yr | $574K | |
| 19 | Hoonah-Angoon Census Area | Low | 0.09 / yr | $560K | |
| 20 | Bristol Bay Borough | Low | 0.06 / yr | $865K | |
| 21 | Northwest Arctic Borough | Low | 0.03 / yr | $343K | |
| 22 | Haines Borough | Low | 0.04 / yr | $522K | |
| 23 | North Slope Borough | Very Low | 0.03 / yr | $229K | |
| 24 | Bethel Census Area | Very Low | 0.06 / yr | $158K | |
| 25 | Skagway Municipality | Very Low | 0.01 / yr | $173K | |
| 26 | Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area | Very Low | 0.03 / yr | $119K | |
| 27 | Ketchikan Gateway Borough | Very Low | 0.01 / yr | $94K | |
| 28 | Kusilvak Census Area | Very Low | 0.00 / yr | $24K | |
| 29 | Petersburg Borough | Very Low | 0.01 / yr | $20K | |
| 30 | Wrangell City and Borough | Very Low | 0.00 / yr | $11K |
30 Alaska counties with measurable earthquake risk. See the national earthquake ranking or all Alaska counties by overall risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Alaska county has the highest earthquake risk?
Anchorage Municipality has the highest FEMA earthquake risk score in Alaska at 99.5 (High), with $353M in expected annual losses and about 0.16 events per year.
How many Alaska counties face significant earthquake risk?
30 Alaska counties record measurable earthquake risk in FEMA's National Risk Index; 3 of them are rated High or Very High.