FEMA Records
9
Total declarations
California · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Placer County, CA
9 FEMA disaster declarations (2015–2023), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Fire.
- 9
- FEMA declarations
- 3
- Major disasters
- 93
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Fire
- Top hazard
The verdict
Placer County ranks in the riskiest 7% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 92% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Relatively Moderate, based on 9 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2015, most often fire, 134% above the national county average of 4.
- Riskiest 7%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively Moderate
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 9
- FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
- 5
- fire declarations, the most common hazard here
FEMA's National Risk Index score reflects expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience; the declaration count above reflects only Presidentially declared disasters, not every hazard event.
How does Placer County compare?
Placer County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
9 Top 8% higher than 92% of 2,791 counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-07-25
Placer County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the California county average
How disaster-prone is Placer County?
Declaration frequency
Placer County, California has recorded 9 FEMA disaster declarations between 2015 and 2023, of which 3 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.1 declarations per year across a 8-year record, or roughly 16% above the California county average of 7.8 and 134% above the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Fire, with 5 of 9 declarations falling under this category.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 93.1/100 (Relatively Moderate). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively Moderate (roughly $162.6M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Very Low and community resilience Very High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Wildfire stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Relatively High.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, these indicators put Placer County at a moderate relative risk level, not the calmest county on record, but not among the most disaster-prone either.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Moderate
vs. California Avg
+16%
State avg: 7.8
vs. National Avg
+134%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
1.1
Over 8 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Placer County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Placer County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance. A rounder polygon means broad multi-hazard exposure; a spiky polygon means one or two dominant hazards drive most of the modeled risk.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
06061
CA state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Fire 5
Flood 3
Biological 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Emergency - 3 33.3%
of all 9 declarations
Major Disaster - 3 33.3%
of all 9 declarations
Fire Management - 3 33.3%
of all 9 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3592 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2023-03-10 |
| 4683 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR | Flood | 2023-01-14 |
| 3591 | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | EM | Flood | 2023-01-09 |
| 5453 | MOSQUITO FIRE | FM | Fire | 2022-09-09 |
| 3571 | CALDOR FIRE | EM | Fire | 2021-09-01 |
| 4610 | WILDFIRES | DR | Fire | 2021-08-24 |
| 5405 | RIVER FIRE | FM | Fire | 2021-08-05 |
| 4482 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-22 |
| 5082 | APPLEGATE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2014-10-08 |
Storm Events in California
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind | 4,876 | 14 | 30 | $229.3M |
| Flood | 3,682 | 33 | 31 | $991.0M |
| Heavy Snow | 2,071 | 6 | 0 | $1.6M |
| Drought | 2,039 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Dense Fog | 1,820 | 59 | 164 | $3.5M |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 93.1/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$162.6M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Wildfire Relatively High
Avalanche Very High
Earthquake Relatively Moderate
Drought Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Low
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Hail Very Low
Tornado Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Cold Wave No Rating
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
Counties with Similar Risk in California
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Placer County, California had?
Placer County, California has received 9 FEMA disaster declarations from 2015 to 2023. Of these, 3 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Placer County?
The most common disaster type in Placer County is Fire, with 5 declarations. Other disaster types include Flood (3), Biological (1).
How does Placer County's disaster risk compare to the California average?
Placer County has 9 disaster declarations, which is 16% higher than the California county average of 7.8 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 134% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Placer County received?
Placer County has received 3 major disaster declarations, representing 33% of all 9 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in California?
The most common storm types in California include High Wind (4,876 events), Flood (3,682 events), Heavy Snow (2,071 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Placer County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Placer County was 2021, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2015 to 2023.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Placer County?
With 9 FEMA disaster declarations on record, Placer County lands in the moderate-risk band, not unusually disaster-prone, but not spared either.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Placer County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Placer County, California has an overall risk score of 93.1 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $162.6M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Placer County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Placer County is Wildfire (risk rating: Relatively High). Other significant hazards include Avalanche (Very High) and Earthquake (Relatively Moderate). These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.
Data Sources & Methodology
Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.
Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.
This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.
What this means for Placer County
Placer County, CA runs 16% above the California county average for federal disaster declarations (9 vs 8), a moderate historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (3 of 9) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. California overview
- See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
- Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide
Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, this profile draws on 2,791 tracked U.S. counties in FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries dataset, refreshed as of 2026-07-25. Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 - all federally-declared disasters for this county. fema.gov/openfema/disaster-declarations
- FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) - per-county per-hazard risk ratings and expected annual loss. hazards.fema.gov/nri
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database - state-level storm/severe-weather event records, 2015–2025. ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FEMA federal disaster data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, or report a data error.