Earthquake Risk in California
All California counties ranked by FEMA National Risk Index earthquake score
Earthquake risk — ground shaking from sudden movement along geologic faults — is rated for 58 of 58 California counties in FEMA's National Risk Index. Los Angeles County carries the state's highest earthquake score at 100.0, with $4.57B in expected annual earthquake losses.
27 California counties are rated High or Very High for earthquake, and expected annual losses from earthquake total roughly $14.85B 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 | Los Angeles County | Very High | 0.09 / yr | $4.57B | |
| 2 | Alameda County | Very High | 0.14 / yr | $1.35B | |
| 3 | Orange County | Very High | 0.10 / yr | $1.02B | |
| 4 | Santa Clara County | Very High | 0.18 / yr | $1.19B | |
| 5 | Riverside County | Very High | 0.12 / yr | $764M | |
| 6 | San Bernardino County | Very High | 0.11 / yr | $922M | |
| 7 | San Francisco County | Very High | 0.10 / yr | $662M | |
| 8 | San Diego County | High | 0.11 / yr | $426M | |
| 9 | Contra Costa County | High | 0.13 / yr | $519M | |
| 10 | Ventura County | High | 0.08 / yr | $392M | |
| 11 | San Mateo County | High | 0.14 / yr | $497M | |
| 12 | Sonoma County | High | 0.12 / yr | $284M | |
| 13 | Santa Barbara County | High | 0.05 / yr | $168M | |
| 14 | Kern County | High | 0.08 / yr | $184M | |
| 15 | Monterey County | High | 0.16 / yr | $182M | |
| 16 | San Joaquin County | High | 0.11 / yr | $184M | |
| 17 | Santa Cruz County | High | 0.16 / yr | $190M | |
| 18 | Fresno County | High | 0.11 / yr | $136M | |
| 19 | Imperial County | High | 0.15 / yr | $101M | |
| 20 | Solano County | High | 0.13 / yr | $128M | |
| 21 | Humboldt County | High | 0.19 / yr | $94M | |
| 22 | Sacramento County | High | 0.12 / yr | $108M | |
| 23 | Marin County | High | 0.10 / yr | $110M | |
| 24 | Merced County | High | 0.09 / yr | $62M | |
| 25 | Stanislaus County | High | 0.07 / yr | $85M | |
| 26 | Napa County | High | 0.12 / yr | $67M | |
| 27 | Mendocino County | High | 0.07 / yr | $47M | |
| 28 | Tulare County | Medium | 0.06 / yr | $36M | |
| 29 | San Luis Obispo County | Medium | 0.11 / yr | $50M | |
| 30 | Butte County | Medium | 0.04 / yr | $34M | |
| 31 | Yolo County | Medium | 0.07 / yr | $42M | |
| 32 | San Benito County | Medium | 0.19 / yr | $49M | |
| 33 | Lake County | Medium | 0.09 / yr | $24M | |
| 34 | Kings County | Medium | 0.10 / yr | $25M | |
| 35 | Madera County | Medium | 0.07 / yr | $20M | |
| 36 | Shasta County | Medium | 0.02 / yr | $24M | |
| 37 | Placer County | Medium | 0.03 / yr | $19M | |
| 38 | Tehama County | Medium | 0.04 / yr | $11M | |
| 39 | Inyo County | Medium | 0.08 / yr | $8M | |
| 40 | Del Norte County | Medium | 0.02 / yr | $11M | |
| 41 | Sutter County | Medium | 0.04 / yr | $10M | |
| 42 | Glenn County | Medium | 0.05 / yr | $10M | |
| 43 | Plumas County | Medium | 0.04 / yr | $5M | |
| 44 | Nevada County | Medium | 0.03 / yr | $7M | |
| 45 | El Dorado County | Medium | 0.02 / yr | $8M | |
| 46 | Colusa County | Medium | 0.05 / yr | $5M | |
| 47 | Yuba County | Low | 0.03 / yr | $6M | |
| 48 | Lassen County | Low | 0.03 / yr | $4M | |
| 49 | Mono County | Low | 0.09 / yr | $5M | |
| 50 | Siskiyou County | Low | 0.02 / yr | $3M | |
| 51 | Trinity County | Low | 0.03 / yr | $2M | |
| 52 | Calaveras County | Low | 0.01 / yr | $1M | |
| 53 | Tuolumne County | Low | 0.02 / yr | $769K | |
| 54 | Modoc County | Low | 0.02 / yr | $583K | |
| 55 | Mariposa County | Low | 0.03 / yr | $433K | |
| 56 | Sierra County | Low | 0.04 / yr | $552K | |
| 57 | Amador County | Low | 0.01 / yr | $564K | |
| 58 | Alpine County | Very Low | 0.04 / yr | $309K |
58 California counties with measurable earthquake risk. See the national earthquake ranking or all California counties by overall risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which California county has the highest earthquake risk?
Los Angeles County has the highest FEMA earthquake risk score in California at 100.0 (Very High), with $4.57B in expected annual losses and about 0.09 events per year.
How many California counties face significant earthquake risk?
58 California counties record measurable earthquake risk in FEMA's National Risk Index; 27 of them are rated High or Very High.