Natural hazard & disaster data for every U.S. county
Look up FEMA disaster declarations, NOAA storm events, and FEMA National Risk Index scores for any U.S. county or state — what has happened, what it cost, and where risk runs highest.
Unified US portal joining 1,017+ FEMA disasters, NOAA storms & FEMA NRI risk scores with state, county, hazard rankings & $250.3B in tracked damage
- 1,017
- FEMA declarations
- 691,645
- NOAA storm events
- $250.3B
- Tracked property damage
- 2,729
- Counties profiled
FEMA National Risk Index
Which hazards drive the most expected loss?
The National Risk Index estimates the expected annual loss each natural hazard causes, in dollars, across 3,144 U.S. counties. Earthquakes and hurricanes top the list — but the order surprises most people.
U.S. expected annual loss by natural hazard
FEMA National Risk Index — total expected annual loss, all counties
- Earthquake
Earthquake
$26.5 B / year
- Hurricane
Hurricane
$14.2 B / year
- Tornado
Tornado
$11.5 B / year
- Cold Wave $9.9
Cold Wave
$9.9 B / year
- Heat Wave $7.1
Heat Wave
$7.1 B / year
- Wildfire $3.9
Wildfire
$3.9 B / year
- Hail $3.2
Hail
$3.2 B / year
- Strong Wind $3.2
Strong Wind
$3.2 B / year
What this shows Earthquake leads at $26.5B in expected annual loss nationwide, ahead of hurricane and tornado — concentrated in a small number of high-exposure counties.
- $150.1B
- Expected annual loss, all hazards, nationwide
- 17
- Counties rated "Very High" risk by FEMA
- 165,914,986
- People living in high or very-high-risk counties
Most disaster-prone states
View all states →Ranked by total FEMA disaster declarations, 1973–2026.
Top 10 states by FEMA disaster declarations
Wider bars = more federally-declared disasters
- California
California
130 declarations
- Washington
Washington
94 declarations
- Oregon
Oregon
68 declarations
- Oklahoma
Oklahoma
57 declarations
- Arizona 36
Arizona
36 declarations
- Texas 34
Texas
34 declarations
- Montana 32
Montana
32 declarations
- Nevada 31
Nevada
31 declarations
- New Mexico 29
New Mexico
29 declarations
- Florida 29
Florida
29 declarations
| State | Declarations | Storm events | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| California (CA) | 130 | 23,454 | $22.1B |
| Washington (WA) | 94 | 4,389 | $3.3B |
| Oregon (OR) | 68 | 3,687 | $4.0B |
| Oklahoma (OK) | 57 | 23,876 | $1.1B |
| Arizona (AZ) | 36 | 9,537 | $361.6M |
| Texas (TX) | 34 | 53,230 | $69.5B |
| Montana (MT) | 32 | 13,377 | $56.2M |
| Nevada (NV) | 31 | 4,485 | $193.3M |
| New Mexico (NM) | 29 | 10,935 | $1.3B |
| Florida (FL) | 29 | 12,799 | $41.7B |
Most common storm hazards
View all 55 →FEMA disaster types
View all →Costliest states by property damage
Full ranking →Disaster declarations by year
Federally-declared disasters per year, with the major-disaster and emergency split.
| Year | Total | Major disasters | Emergencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 32 | 9 | 15 |
| 2025 | 143 | 61 | 7 |
| 2024 | 162 | 88 | 21 |
| 2023 | 114 | 68 | 15 |
| 2022 | 98 | 52 | 8 |
| 2021 | 123 | 59 | 24 |
| 2020 | 78 | 19 | 0 |
| 2019 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 53 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 52 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | 34 | 2 | 0 |
| 2015 | 31 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 31 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Explore the data
Hazard data guides
Understanding FEMA declarations, regional risk patterns, and preparedness planning.
Understanding FEMA Disaster Data
What disaster declarations mean, how they differ, and how NOAA tracks storm events.
Natural Hazard Risk by Region
Which regions face hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, wildfires, and earthquakes — geographic patterns from federal data.
How to Use Hazard Data for Preparedness
Using your county's historical hazard profile to inform preparedness planning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What data does PlainHazard cover?
PlainHazard combines FEMA disaster declarations (1973–2026), NOAA Storm Events, and the FEMA National Risk Index for 2,729 U.S. counties, 55 storm-hazard types, and 16 FEMA disaster types.
How far back does the data go?
FEMA disaster declarations in this dataset run from 1973 to 2026. NOAA Storm Events detail covers 2015–2025 — tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, winter storms and more.
Where does PlainHazard data come from?
Three official federal sources: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, and the FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) for expected-annual-loss and risk ratings. Nothing is proprietary or modeled by us.
Original research
See all research →Editorial analysis, every statistic queried live from our federal-data snapshot.
States by FEMA disaster declarations
Every U.S. state ranked by total federally-declared disasters, with the major / emergency / fire-management split.
AnalysisDisaster types by frequency
Which incident types — severe storms, floods, fires — drive the most FEMA declarations nationwide.
AnalysisMost disaster-prone counties
The U.S. counties with the most cumulative FEMA disaster declarations, and what drives their high counts.
Data sources: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, and the FEMA National Risk Index. For informational purposes only.