National comparison · NOAA Storm Events Database

States with the most wildfires

California has recorded the most wildfire events of any state, with 577 events across the NOAA Storm Events Database's recorded history. This ranking covers all 45 states and territories with at least one recorded wildfire event.

Compiled by PlainHazard, Independent hazard-data publisher · August 25, 2026

California
Most wildfire events: 577
California wildfire events: 3,772
Total events nationwide

California has recorded the most wildfire events of any state (577, 15% of the nationwide 3,772)

According to NOAA's Storm Events Database, PlainHazard ranks 45 states and territories by recorded wildfire event count. California leads the catalog; the top three states together hold 40% of all recorded events. This is a raw event count, not adjusted for land area or population.

577 California wildfire events
15% of U.S. wildfire events
40% held by the top 3 states

How concentrated are the events

California accounts for 15% of all NOAA-recorded wildfire events among the 45 states and territories in this ranking, and the top three states combined, California, Texas, Oklahoma, account for 40%. This is a raw event count, not adjusted for state land area.

15%
of nationwide wildfire events are in California alone: 40%
of events concentrated in just the top 3 states: 45
states and territories covered in this ranking

A raw event count is not a per-square-mile risk measure; see the per-state detail pages for context.

What this ranking measures

NOAA's Storm Events Database records individual wildfire events by state and year. This page sums the recorded event count for each state and ranks the highest totals first. It is a count of past recorded events, not a forecast and not a normalized per-capita or per-area risk measure — a large state can rank higher simply from more land area and more NOAA-monitored events, independent of any single location's actual exposure.

Top 12 states by wildfire events

Each row links to the state profile, crawlable ranking, not an image-only chart

1

California 577 wildfire events
2

Texas 526 wildfire events
3

Oklahoma 390 wildfire events
4

Colorado 329 wildfire events
5

Oregon 311 wildfire events
6

Washington 299 wildfire events
7

Idaho 225 wildfire events
8

Arizona 189 wildfire events
9

Montana 111 wildfire events
10

Florida 105 wildfire events
11

Hawaii 93 wildfire events
12

Wyoming 82 wildfire events

Source NOAA Storm Events Database · 2026-08-25

The bar to make this top-12 list

Distribution of wildfire event counts across ranked states

82 Top 27% higher than 73% of 45 states

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. 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 NOAA Storm Events Database · 2026-08-25

Full states-with-most-wildfires ranking

States with the most recorded wildfire events rank first. The last column shows recorded wildfire fatalities.

#	State	Wildfire Events	Fatalities
1	CaliforniaCA	577	243
2	TexasTX	526	8
3	OklahomaOK	390	11
4	ColoradoCO	329	7
5	OregonOR	311	15
6	WashingtonWA	299	4
7	IdahoID	225	3
8	ArizonaAZ	189	1
9	MontanaMT	111	2
10	FloridaFL	105	1
11	HawaiiHI	93	103
12	WyomingWY	82	1
13	New MexicoNM	72	5
14	KansasKS	63	3
15	UtahUT	56	0
16	NebraskaNE	46	4
17	MissouriMO	32	0
18	South DakotaSD	28	0
19	AlaskaAK	26	0
20	NevadaNV	26	0
21	PennsylvaniaPA	21	1
22	GeorgiaGA	18	0
23	New JerseyNJ	14	0
24	LouisianaLA	13	0
25	KentuckyKY	12	2
26	MinnesotaMN	12	0
27	WisconsinWI	12	2
28	South CarolinaSC	10	0
29	IllinoisIL	8	0
30	North CarolinaNC	7	0
31	ArkansasAR	6	1
32	IowaIA	6	0
33	MassachusettsMA	6	0
34	MichiganMI	6	0
35	VirginiaVA	6	0
36	IndianaIN	5	0
37	MississippiMS	4	0
38	North DakotaND	4	2
39	New YorkNY	4	0
40	TennesseeTN	4	0
41	GuamGU	2	0
42	Puerto RicoPR	2	0
43	West VirginiaWV	2	0
44	AlabamaAL	1	0
45	New HampshireNH	1	0

What to do with this ranking

California accounts for 15% of NOAA-recorded wildfire events (577); the top three states hold 40% of the 3,772 catalog total.

Open California's state profile for county-level wildfire and risk-index context. California profile
See the national Wildfire hazard page for year and geography tables behind this ranking. Wildfire hazard record
Read how NOAA storm-event counts differ from FEMA declarations before citing either. Disaster-data guide

Wildfire event counts are raw NOAA reports, not land-area or population-adjusted risk, and not a forecast. For current threats follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database Wildfire event records Recorded events depend on NOAA's monitoring and reporting coverage, which has expanded over time. Earlier decades may undercount events relative to more recent years.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which US state has the most wildfire events?

California has the most NOAA-recorded wildfire events of any state, 577 on record -- 15% of the 3,772 total wildfire events across all states tracked.

Are wildfires concentrated in a few states?

Yes. The top three states, California, Texas, Oklahoma, together account for 40% of all recorded wildfire events, reflecting the well-documented US western-state concentration of NOAA-recorded wildfire events, led by California and other arid/mountain states.

Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. This ranking sums NOAA Storm Events Database wildfire records by state. It labels the aggregation rather than presenting it as a forecast or a per-capita risk measure. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.