The 100 Riskiest Counties in America
FEMA National Risk Index composite score · counties with 10,000+ residents
These are the 100 US counties with the highest composite natural disaster risk in FEMA's National Risk Index. Los Angeles County, California tops the list with a score of 100.0 out of 100, driven primarily by earthquake.
The composite score blends Expected Annual Loss, Social Vulnerability, and Community Resilience across all 18 hazard types — so it reflects not just how often disasters strike, but how much damage they do and how well communities recover. Click any county for its full risk profile and federal disaster history.
Rankings
| # | County | Risk Score | Rating | Top Hazard | Ann. Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles County, CA | Very High | Earthquake | $7.60B | |
| 2 | Cook County, IL | Very High | Cold Wave | $2.42B | |
| 3 | Maricopa County, AZ | Very High | Heat Wave | $2.20B | |
| 4 | Riverside County, CA | Very High | Wildfire | $2.27B | |
| 5 | Harris County, TX | Very High | Hurricane | $2.22B | |
| 6 | Alameda County, CA | Very High | Earthquake | $1.88B | |
| 7 | Orange County, CA | Very High | Earthquake | $1.93B | |
| 8 | San Bernardino County, CA | Very High | Landslide | $2.08B | |
| 9 | San Diego County, CA | Very High | Wildfire | $1.54B | |
| 10 | Santa Clara County, CA | Very High | Earthquake | $1.97B | |
| 11 | Dallas County, TX | Very High | Hail | $973M | |
| 12 | King County, WA | Very High | Earthquake | $1.68B | |
| 13 | Miami-Dade County, FL | Very High | Hurricane | $825M | |
| 14 | Clark County, NV | Very High | Heat Wave | $813M | |
| 15 | Philadelphia County, PA | Very High | Heat Wave | $667M | |
| 16 | Contra Costa County, CA | Very High | Earthquake | $971M | |
| 17 | San Francisco County, CA | Very High | Earthquake | $853M | |
| 18 | Broward County, FL | High | Lightning | $648M | |
| 19 | Ventura County, CA | High | Wildfire | $762M | |
| 20 | Shelby County, TN | High | Cold Wave | $555M | |
| 21 | Bexar County, TX | High | Hail | $619M | |
| 22 | Fresno County, CA | High | Drought | $557M | |
| 23 | St. Louis County, MO | High | Heat Wave | $753M | |
| 24 | Kings County, NY | High | Winter Weather | $375M | |
| 25 | San Mateo County, CA | High | Earthquake | $740M | |
| 26 | Palm Beach County, FL | High | Hurricane | $519M | |
| 27 | Queens County, NY | High | Cold Wave | $377M | |
| 28 | Pima County, AZ | High | Heat Wave | $531M | |
| 29 | Sonoma County, CA | High | Landslide | $605M | |
| 30 | Tarrant County, TX | High | Hail | $608M | |
| 31 | Santa Barbara County, CA | High | Landslide | $477M | |
| 32 | Lee County, FL | High | Hurricane | $433M | |
| 33 | Wayne County, MI | High | Cold Wave | $402M | |
| 34 | Hidalgo County, TX | High | Cold Wave | $310M | |
| 35 | Kern County, CA | High | Wildfire | $417M | |
| 36 | Collier County, FL | High | Hurricane | $398M | |
| 37 | Collin County, TX | High | Hail | $716M | |
| 38 | Hillsborough County, FL | High | Lightning | $495M | |
| 39 | Honolulu County, HI | High | Lightning | $517M | |
| 40 | New York County, NY | High | Heat Wave | $307M | |
| 41 | Monterey County, CA | High | Drought | $402M | |
| 42 | Jefferson Parish, LA | High | Hurricane | $371M | |
| 43 | St. Louis City, MO | High | Heat Wave | $359M | |
| 44 | San Joaquin County, CA | High | Drought | $422M | |
| 45 | Charleston County, SC | High | Coastal Flood | $500M | |
| 46 | Salt Lake County, UT | High | Earthquake | $622M | |
| 47 | Hawaii County, HI | High | Volcanic Activity | $365M | |
| 48 | Multnomah County, OR | High | Earthquake | $440M | |
| 49 | Pierce County, WA | High | Earthquake | $532M | |
| 50 | Brevard County, FL | High | Hurricane | $389M | |
| 51 | Orange County, FL | High | Strong Wind | $418M | |
| 52 | Milwaukee County, WI | High | Cold Wave | $342M | |
| 53 | Jefferson County, KY | High | Tornado | $342M | |
| 54 | Orleans Parish, LA | High | Hurricane | $304M | |
| 55 | Hennepin County, MN | High | Cold Wave | $456M | |
| 56 | Bronx County, NY | High | Cold Wave | $212M | |
| 57 | Pinellas County, FL | High | Lightning | $303M | |
| 58 | Sarasota County, FL | High | Lightning | $273M | |
| 59 | Horry County, SC | High | Hurricane | $290M | |
| 60 | Sacramento County, CA | High | Drought | $352M | |
| 61 | Franklin County, OH | High | Cold Wave | $331M | |
| 62 | Allegheny County, PA | High | Riverine Flood | $354M | |
| 63 | Mobile County, AL | High | Hurricane | $298M | |
| 64 | East Baton Rouge Parish, LA | High | Tornado | $267M | |
| 65 | Cuyahoga County, OH | High | Cold Wave | $282M | |
| 66 | Oklahoma County, OK | High | Ice Storm | $298M | |
| 67 | Tulsa County, OK | High | Ice Storm | $292M | |
| 68 | Snohomish County, WA | High | Landslide | $409M | |
| 69 | Santa Cruz County, CA | High | Drought | $335M | |
| 70 | Bergen County, NJ | High | Coastal Flood | $322M | |
| 71 | Middlesex County, NJ | High | Strong Wind | $282M | |
| 72 | Essex County, NJ | High | Heat Wave | $214M | |
| 73 | Erie County, NY | High | Cold Wave | $286M | |
| 74 | Travis County, TX | High | Tornado | $376M | |
| 75 | Jefferson County, AL | High | Tornado | $262M | |
| 76 | District of Columbia, DC | High | Heat Wave | $292M | |
| 77 | Manatee County, FL | High | Hurricane | $255M | |
| 78 | DuPage County, IL | High | Cold Wave | $366M | |
| 79 | Marion County, IN | High | Tornado | $285M | |
| 80 | Oakland County, MI | High | Tornado | $359M | |
| 81 | Fort Bend County, TX | High | Lightning | $346M | |
| 82 | Anchorage Municipality, AK | High | Earthquake | $367M | |
| 83 | Capitol Planning Region, CT | High | Riverine Flood | $302M | |
| 84 | Chatham County, GA | High | Hurricane | $277M | |
| 85 | Will County, IL | High | Cold Wave | $348M | |
| 86 | Suffolk County, NY | High | Winter Weather | $321M | |
| 87 | Cameron County, TX | High | Cold Wave | $165M | |
| 88 | Duval County, FL | High | Cold Wave | $264M | |
| 89 | Hudson County, NJ | High | Heat Wave | $189M | |
| 90 | Davidson County, TN | High | Earthquake | $262M | |
| 91 | Nassau County, NY | High | Winter Weather | $299M | |
| 92 | Mecklenburg County, NC | High | Riverine Flood | $318M | |
| 93 | Beaufort County, SC | High | Hurricane | $256M | |
| 94 | Solano County, CA | High | Drought | $292M | |
| 95 | Tulare County, CA | High | Heat Wave | $214M | |
| 96 | Grays Harbor County, WA | High | Tsunami | $212M | |
| 97 | Merced County, CA | High | Drought | $205M | |
| 98 | Stanislaus County, CA | High | Drought | $265M | |
| 99 | Middlesex County, MA | High | Ice Storm | $322M | |
| 100 | Denton County, TX | High | Tornado | $355M |
Counties with fewer than 10,000 residents and US territories are excluded so sparsely populated places and incomplete territory data don't dominate the list. Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the riskiest county in the US for natural disasters?
Los Angeles County, California has the highest FEMA National Risk Index score (100.0) among US counties with at least 10,000 residents, driven primarily by earthquake.
How is the ranking calculated?
Rankings use FEMA's National Risk Index v1.20 composite score, which combines Expected Annual Loss, Social Vulnerability, and Community Resilience across 18 natural hazard types. Counties with fewer than 10,000 residents and US territories are excluded so sparsely populated places and incomplete territory data don't dominate the list.