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 1,132+ FEMA disasters, NOAA storms & FEMA NRI risk scores with state, county, hazard rankings & $275.5B in tracked damage
- 1,132
- FEMA declarations
- 835,622
- NOAA storm events
- $275.5B
- Tracked property damage
- 2,791
- Counties profiled
The national picture
Earthquake alone drives 18% of the nation's $150.1B in FEMA-modeled annual disaster loss, concentrated in the 17 counties FEMA rates "Very High" risk. FEMA's declarations span 18 distinct disaster types across all 56 states and territories, while NOAA separately tracks 54 storm-hazard categories that have caused 12,810 recorded fatalities from 1973 to 2026.
- 18%
- of national expected annual loss from earthquake alone
- 17
- counties rated "Very High" risk by FEMA
- 162
- California's FEMA declarations, most of any state
- $275.5B
- in tracked property damage nationwide
FEMA and NOAA measure different things, declarations reflect a federal response threshold, storm events capture every recorded weather event, see our methodology for how they're kept separate.
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.
- $14.2B
- Hurricane, the #2 hazard by expected annual loss
- 165,914,986
- People living in high or very-high-risk counties
- 3,144
- Counties FEMA has scored across all 18 modeled hazards
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
162 declarations
- Washington
Washington
95 declarations
- Oregon
Oregon
76 declarations
- Oklahoma 63
Oklahoma
63 declarations
- Arizona 42
Arizona
42 declarations
- Montana 40
Montana
40 declarations
- Texas 39
Texas
39 declarations
- New Mexico 33
New Mexico
33 declarations
- Florida 32
Florida
32 declarations
- Nevada 31
Nevada
31 declarations
| State | Declarations | Storm events | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| California (CA) | 162 | 28,215 | $22.3B |
| Washington (WA) | 95 | 5,081 | $4.2B |
| Oregon (OR) | 76 | 4,241 | $4.0B |
| Oklahoma (OK) | 63 | 28,865 | $1.2B |
| Arizona (AZ) | 42 | 11,856 | $443.7M |
| Montana (MT) | 40 | 16,909 | $135.6M |
| Texas (TX) | 39 | 64,364 | $71.4B |
| New Mexico (NM) | 33 | 13,491 | $1.6B |
| Florida (FL) | 32 | 15,028 | $58.8B |
| Nevada (NV) | 31 | 5,679 | $220.0M |
Most common storm hazards
View all 54 →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 | 87 | 35 | 21 |
| 2025 | 143 | 61 | 7 |
| 2024 | 162 | 88 | 21 |
| 2023 | 114 | 68 | 15 |
| 2022 | 98 | 52 | 8 |
| 2021 | 123 | 59 | 24 |
| 2020 | 107 | 19 | 3 |
| 2019 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 64 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 61 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | 41 | 2 | 0 |
| 2015 | 34 | 1 | 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.
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.
How to use this data
1,132 FEMA disaster declarations on record, with 2024 the busiest year yet at 162 declarations.
- Compare all 56 tracked states by total declarations or which one has been hit hardest. Open the state rankings
- Look up any of the 2,791 tracked counties for its own disaster history and FEMA risk rating. Browse counties
- Score a specific state or county on the same 0-100 composite risk index this site uses throughout. Open the risk calculator
FEMA disaster declarations (1973-present) and NOAA storm events (2015-2025) are two different federal datasets with different time windows and definitions, not a single unified count.
About this data
How PlainHazard works, and why you can trust these numbers
What this site is
PlainHazard is a plain-language reference for U.S. natural hazard risk. We combine FEMA disaster declarations (1973-2026), the NOAA Storm Events database, and the FEMA National Risk Index into county-level hazard profiles, with every figure traceable to its issuing federal agency.
Editorial process
- Source. Download FEMA disaster declaration records via the OpenFEMA API, NOAA Storm Events CSV files, and FEMA National Risk Index county data, updated as each agency publishes new records.
- Verify. Keep the two hazard datasets intentionally separate, FEMA declarations and NOAA Storm Events measure different phenomena and are never combined into a single composite score.
- Publish. Reproduce FEMA and NOAA data exactly as published, without editorial modification, so readers can check any county figure against the original federal record.
Editorial independence & corrections
The PlainHazard editorial team is independent and is not affiliated with FEMA, NOAA, or any government agency. Found an error or a stale figure? File a correction via the contact page. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
Frequently asked
What data does PlainHazard cover?
PlainHazard combines FEMA disaster declarations (1973–2026), NOAA Storm Events, and the FEMA National Risk Index for 2,791 U.S. counties, 54 storm-hazard types, and 18 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.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, PlainHazard tracks 1,132 FEMA disaster declarations across 2,791 U.S. counties, refreshed as of 2026-07-20. Read our methodology for how this data is sourced and verified.
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-07-20.