South Dakota Natural Disaster Risk by County
FEMA National Risk Index rankings for all 66 counties
South Dakota spans 66 counties with an average FEMA National Risk Index score of 26.8 (low risk) and roughly $768M in combined expected annual loss statewide. No county in the state reaches the High risk band.
The highest-risk county is Minnehaha County (score 89.5, medium), while Jones County (score 1.3) carries the lowest. Use the table below to compare every county by score, top hazard, and expected annual loss.
County Rankings
| # | County | Risk Score | Risk Rating | Top Hazard | Ann. Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnehaha County | Medium | Ice Storm | $104M | |
| 2 | Dewey County | Low | Cold Wave | $22M | |
| 3 | Pennington County | Low | Wildfire | $41M | |
| 4 | Brown County | Low | Winter Weather | $37M | |
| 5 | Yankton County | Low | Drought | $19M | |
| 6 | Lincoln County | Low | Winter Weather | $42M | |
| 7 | Codington County | Low | Ice Storm | $25M | |
| 8 | Brule County | Low | Cold Wave | $19M | |
| 9 | Brookings County | Low | Winter Weather | $24M | |
| 10 | Oglala Lakota County | Low | Wildfire | $9M | |
| 11 | Meade County | Low | Wildfire | $22M | |
| 12 | Lawrence County | Low | Wildfire | $16M | |
| 13 | Charles Mix County | Low | Cold Wave | $13M | |
| 14 | Hutchinson County | Low | Drought | $19M | |
| 15 | Beadle County | Low | Drought | $16M | |
| 16 | McCook County | Low | Winter Weather | $21M | |
| 17 | Walworth County | Very Low | Cold Wave | $10M | |
| 18 | Davison County | Very Low | Winter Weather | $13M | |
| 19 | Corson County | Very Low | Cold Wave | $7M | |
| 20 | Roberts County | Very Low | Winter Weather | $9M | |
| 21 | Union County | Very Low | Wildfire | $16M | |
| 22 | Todd County | Very Low | Wildfire | $6M | |
| 23 | Tripp County | Very Low | Cold Wave | $8M | |
| 24 | Lake County | Very Low | Winter Weather | $12M | |
| 25 | Fall River County | Very Low | Wildfire | $7M | |
| 26 | Day County | Very Low | Winter Weather | $7M | |
| 27 | Moody County | Very Low | Ice Storm | $9M | |
| 28 | Lyman County | Very Low | Cold Wave | $6M | |
| 29 | Ziebach County | Very Low | Cold Wave | $5M | |
| 30 | Turner County | Very Low | Drought | $11M | |
| 31 | Butte County | Very Low | Wildfire | $8M | |
| 32 | Clay County | Very Low | Drought | $12M | |
| 33 | Aurora County | Very Low | Ice Storm | $8M | |
| 34 | Grant County | Very Low | Cold Wave | $11M | |
| 35 | Spink County | Very Low | Hail | $10M | |
| 36 | Hughes County | Very Low | Wildfire | $10M | |
| 37 | Custer County | Very Low | Wildfire | $9M | |
| 38 | Gregory County | Very Low | Cold Wave | $7M | |
| 39 | Hanson County | Very Low | Drought | $4M | |
| 40 | Marshall County | Very Low | Winter Weather | $6M | |
| 41 | Buffalo County | Very Low | Cold Wave | $4M | |
| 42 | McPherson County | Very Low | Winter Weather | $4M | |
| 43 | Bon Homme County | Very Low | Drought | $7M | |
| 44 | Douglas County | Very Low | Drought | $6M | |
| 45 | Jackson County | Very Low | Wildfire | $3M | |
| 46 | Hamlin County | Very Low | Ice Storm | $7M | |
| 47 | Potter County | Very Low | Cold Wave | $5M | |
| 48 | Haakon County | Very Low | Wildfire | $4M | |
| 49 | Jerauld County | Very Low | Wildfire | $4M | |
| 50 | Faulk County | Very Low | Hail | $3M | |
| 51 | Kingsbury County | Very Low | Ice Storm | $7M | |
| 52 | Edmunds County | Very Low | Winter Weather | $5M | |
| 53 | Deuel County | Very Low | Wildfire | $5M | |
| 54 | Hand County | Very Low | Wildfire | $4M | |
| 55 | Hyde County | Very Low | Wildfire | $3M | |
| 56 | Sully County | Very Low | Wildfire | $5M | |
| 57 | Bennett County | Very Low | Wildfire | $2M | |
| 58 | Mellette County | Very Low | Wildfire | $2M | |
| 59 | Stanley County | Very Low | Wildfire | $4M | |
| 60 | Clark County | Very Low | Cold Wave | $4M | |
| 61 | Campbell County | Very Low | Wildfire | $4M | |
| 62 | Sanborn County | Very Low | Wildfire | $4M | |
| 63 | Miner County | Very Low | Drought | $5M | |
| 64 | Perkins County | Very Low | Wildfire | $3M | |
| 65 | Harding County | Very Low | Wildfire | $2M | |
| 66 | Jones County | Very Low | Wildfire | $2M |
All 66 South Dakota counties, ranked by FEMA National Risk Index score.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which South Dakota county has the highest natural disaster risk?
Minnehaha County has the highest FEMA National Risk Index score in South Dakota at 89.5 (Medium), driven largely by ice storm.
What is the average natural disaster risk in South Dakota?
South Dakota counties average a National Risk Index score of 26.8 across 66 counties, with 0 rated High or Very High risk.
How much are expected annual losses across South Dakota?
FEMA estimates roughly $768M in combined expected annual loss from natural hazards across all South Dakota counties.