Landslide Risk in California
All California counties ranked by FEMA National Risk Index landslide score
Landslide risk — downhill movement of rock, soil, and debris on unstable slopes — is rated for 58 of 58 California counties in FEMA's National Risk Index. Santa Barbara County carries the state's highest landslide score at 100.0, with $51M in expected annual landslide losses.
29 California counties are rated High or Very High for landslide, and expected annual losses from landslide total roughly $130M statewide. The full ranking below links to each county's complete 18-hazard risk profile.
County Rankings — Landslide
| # | County | Landslide Score | Rating | Ann. Freq. | Ann. Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Barbara County | Very High | 60.37 / yr | $51M | |
| 2 | San Bernardino County | Very High | 27.53 / yr | $18M | |
| 3 | Monterey County | High | 129.63 / yr | $5M | |
| 4 | Alameda County | High | 24.63 / yr | $6M | |
| 5 | Sonoma County | High | 67.44 / yr | $5M | |
| 6 | Orange County | High | 17.84 / yr | $4M | |
| 7 | Santa Clara County | High | 64.63 / yr | $5M | |
| 8 | San Mateo County | High | 3.94 / yr | $4M | |
| 9 | Humboldt County | High | 83.33 / yr | $2M | |
| 10 | Mendocino County | High | 94.88 / yr | $2M | |
| 11 | San Diego County | High | 177.45 / yr | $3M | |
| 12 | Mariposa County | High | 27.38 / yr | $2M | |
| 13 | San Luis Obispo County | High | 128.71 / yr | $2M | |
| 14 | Los Angeles County | High | 78.63 / yr | $2M | |
| 15 | Contra Costa County | High | 19.83 / yr | $2M | |
| 16 | Santa Cruz County | High | 6.50 / yr | $2M | |
| 17 | Marin County | High | 12.05 / yr | $2M | |
| 18 | Lake County | High | 93.97 / yr | $872K | |
| 19 | Riverside County | High | 21.78 / yr | $1M | |
| 20 | Napa County | High | 41.62 / yr | $1M | |
| 21 | Trinity County | High | 18.46 / yr | $730K | |
| 22 | Del Norte County | High | 2.18 / yr | $847K | |
| 23 | Kern County | High | 128.61 / yr | $758K | |
| 24 | San Francisco County | High | 0.22 / yr | $829K | |
| 25 | Solano County | High | 8.50 / yr | $894K | |
| 26 | Tehama County | High | 78.86 / yr | $625K | |
| 27 | Fresno County | High | 90.07 / yr | $519K | |
| 28 | Ventura County | High | 64.12 / yr | $651K | |
| 29 | Tulare County | High | 70.09 / yr | $433K | |
| 30 | Madera County | Medium | 28.58 / yr | $353K | |
| 31 | San Benito County | Medium | 91.77 / yr | $687K | |
| 32 | Butte County | Medium | 20.96 / yr | $388K | |
| 33 | El Dorado County | Medium | 3.11 / yr | $336K | |
| 34 | Calaveras County | Medium | 15.00 / yr | $200K | |
| 35 | Nevada County | Medium | 2.27 / yr | $148K | |
| 36 | Sierra County | Medium | 3.01 / yr | $97K | |
| 37 | Amador County | Medium | 7.45 / yr | $104K | |
| 38 | Shasta County | Medium | 6.43 / yr | $78K | |
| 39 | Tuolumne County | Medium | 4.42 / yr | $59K | |
| 40 | Siskiyou County | Medium | 7.55 / yr | $47K | |
| 41 | Yuba County | Medium | 5.58 / yr | $55K | |
| 42 | Plumas County | Medium | 6.93 / yr | $34K | |
| 43 | Stanislaus County | Low | 18.22 / yr | $39K | |
| 44 | Glenn County | Low | 24.48 / yr | $47K | |
| 45 | Yolo County | Low | 10.51 / yr | $40K | |
| 46 | Placer County | Low | 2.28 / yr | $40K | |
| 47 | Inyo County | Low | 30.58 / yr | $16K | |
| 48 | Sacramento County | Low | 4.11 / yr | $15K | |
| 49 | Mono County | Low | 14.18 / yr | $10K | |
| 50 | Colusa County | Low | 16.73 / yr | $6K | |
| 51 | Alpine County | Low | 2.09 / yr | $4K | |
| 52 | San Joaquin County | Very Low | 7.42 / yr | $3K | |
| 53 | Kings County | Very Low | 8.57 / yr | $2K | |
| 54 | Merced County | Very Low | 14.94 / yr | $2K | |
| 55 | Lassen County | Very Low | 2.52 / yr | $1K | |
| 56 | Sutter County | Very Low | 3.05 / yr | $997 | |
| 57 | Imperial County | Very Low | 6.46 / yr | $459 | |
| 58 | Modoc County | Very Low | 0.86 / yr | $314 |
58 California counties with measurable landslide risk. See the national landslide ranking or all California counties by overall risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which California county has the highest landslide risk?
Santa Barbara County has the highest FEMA landslide risk score in California at 100.0 (Very High), with $51M in expected annual losses and about 60.37 events per year.
How many California counties face significant landslide risk?
58 California counties record measurable landslide risk in FEMA's National Risk Index; 29 of them are rated High or Very High.