National ranking · FEMA OpenFEMA

States with the most major disaster declarations

U.S. states and territories ranked by FEMA Major Disaster (DR) declarations, the most severe federal designation, requiring individual and public assistance. California leads.

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

California
Most major disasters: 116
California major (DR): 2,920
Major declarations nationwide: 59
States & territories

California has the most FEMA Major Disaster (DR) declarations (116, 4% of the nationwide 2,920)

According to FEMA OpenFEMA, PlainHazard ranks all 59 U.S. states and territories by Major Disaster (DR) declarations, FEMA's most severe class. California leads; the top three states together hold 11% of major declarations nationwide. DR totals are not the same as all-declaration counts.

116 California major (DR)
4% of U.S. major declarations
11% held by the top 3 states

How concentrated are major declarations

California accounts for 4% of all FEMA Major Disaster declarations among the 59 states and territories in this ranking, and the top three states combined, California, Texas, Oklahoma, account for 11%. A Major Disaster (DR) declaration is FEMA's most severe designation, triggering individual and public assistance.

4%
of nationwide major declarations are in California alone: 11%
of major declarations concentrated in just the top 3 states: 59
states and territories covered in this ranking

A raw declaration count is not a per-capita risk measure; see the per-state detail pages for context.

Most Disasters Most Damage Deadliest Most Major

Top 12 states by Major Disaster declarations

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

1

California 116 major (DR)
2

Texas 107 major (DR)
3

Oklahoma 99 major (DR)
4

Florida 86 major (DR)
5

New York 85 major (DR)
6

Kentucky 81 major (DR)
7

Louisiana 78 major (DR)
8

Tennessee 78 major (DR)
9

Mississippi 77 major (DR)
10

Alabama 75 major (DR)
11

Missouri 75 major (DR)
12

Arkansas 74 major (DR)

Source FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-08-25

The bar to make this top-12 list

Distribution of Major Disaster (DR) counts across all states

74 Top 20% higher than 80% of 59 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 FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-08-25

The full ranking

Major (DR) declarations vs. total declarations, by state.

#	State	Major (DR)	Share	Total Declarations	Top Type
1	CaliforniaCA	116	4.0%	396	Fire
2	TexasTX	107	3.7%	389	Fire
3	OklahomaOK	99	3.4%	258	Fire
4	FloridaFL	86	2.9%	188	Fire
5	New YorkNY	85	2.9%	118	Severe Storm
6	KentuckyKY	81	2.8%	98	Severe Storm
7	LouisianaLA	78	2.7%	111	Hurricane
8	TennesseeTN	78	2.7%	97	Severe Storm
9	MississippiMS	77	2.6%	98	Severe Storm
10	AlabamaAL	75	2.6%	102	Severe Storm
11	MissouriMO	75	2.6%	86	Severe Storm
12	ArkansasAR	74	2.5%	87	Severe Storm
13	West VirginiaWV	72	2.5%	84	Flood
14	IowaIA	72	2.5%	78	Severe Storm
15	KansasKS	71	2.4%	94	Severe Storm
16	NebraskaNE	70	2.4%	87	Severe Storm
17	WashingtonWA	68	2.3%	215	Fire
18	AlaskaAK	66	2.3%	94	Fire
19	South DakotaSD	63	2.2%	96	Severe Storm
20	MinnesotaMN	63	2.2%	81	Flood
21	North DakotaND	61	2.1%	75	Flood
22	IllinoisIL	59	2.0%	68	Severe Storm
23	VirginiaVA	58	2.0%	77	Severe Storm
24	North CarolinaNC	57	2.0%	85	Hurricane
25	VermontVT	55	1.9%	62	Severe Storm
26	PennsylvaniaPA	54	1.8%	64	Flood
27	MaineME	52	1.8%	71	Severe Storm
28	OhioOH	52	1.8%	60	Severe Storm
29	GeorgiaGA	51	1.7%	81	Severe Storm
30	New HampshireNH	48	1.6%	63	Severe Storm
31	WisconsinWI	47	1.6%	56	Flood
32	IndianaIN	45	1.5%	54	Severe Storm
33	OregonOR	44	1.5%	169	Fire
34	MontanaMT	43	1.5%	112	Fire
35	New JerseyNJ	43	1.5%	59	Severe Storm
36	New MexicoNM	39	1.3%	126	Fire
37	HawaiiHI	39	1.3%	72	Fire
38	ArizonaAZ	37	1.3%	120	Fire
39	MassachusettsMA	36	1.2%	59	Severe Storm
40	Puerto RicoPR	36	1.2%	51	Hurricane
41	IdahoID	35	1.2%	60	Fire
42	MichiganMI	35	1.2%	46	Flood
43	MarylandMD	31	1.1%	38	Flood
44	South CarolinaSC	29	1.0%	51	Hurricane
45	ConnecticutCT	26	0.9%	43	Hurricane
46	ColoradoCO	25	0.9%	111	Fire
47	NevadaNV	22	0.8%	110	Fire
48	U.S. Virgin IslandsVI	21	0.7%	33	Hurricane
49	Northern Mariana IslandsMP	20	0.7%	29	Typhoon
50	DelawareDE	20	0.7%	26	Hurricane
51	GuamGU	19	0.7%	25	Typhoon
52	Federated States of MicronesiaFM	19	0.7%	21	Typhoon
53	Rhode IslandRI	17	0.6%	31	Hurricane
54	UtahUT	16	0.5%	59	Fire
55	WyomingWY	15	0.5%	45	Fire
56	District of ColumbiaDC	15	0.5%	24	Severe Storm
57	American SamoaAS	15	0.5%	17	Hurricane
58	Marshall IslandsMH	7	0.2%	7	Typhoon
59	PalauPW	1	0.0%	1	Typhoon

What to do with this ranking

California accounts for 4% of FEMA Major Disaster (DR) declarations (116); the top three states hold 11% of the 2,920 nationwide major total.

Open California's state profile for the incident types behind those major declarations. California profile
Compare against all-declaration volume, Major Disaster (DR) excludes Emergency and Fire Management designations. Most disasters ranking
Read what a Major Disaster declaration unlocks versus other FEMA pathways. Disaster-data guide

Major Disaster counts are federal assistance triggers, not hazard-frequency or per-capita risk measures. For current threats follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 Major Disaster (DR) declarations only; excludes Emergency (EM) and Fire Management (FM) designations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which US state has the most FEMA major disaster declarations?

California has the most FEMA Major Disaster (DR) declarations of any state or territory, 116 on record -- 4% of the 2,920 total major declarations nationwide.

What is a "major disaster" declaration, and how is it different from other FEMA declarations?

A Major Disaster (DR) declaration is FEMA's most severe designation, made when an event overwhelms state/local response capacity and unlocks the broadest range of federal aid (individual assistance, public assistance, hazard mitigation). It is distinct from the lighter-weight Emergency (EM) and Fire Management (FM) designations, which this ranking excludes.

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 national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.