Bergen County, New Jersey: hazard risk
FEMA rates Bergen County's overall risk Relatively High (score 97.8 of 100, higher than 97% of rated U.S. counties); 8 of its 15 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by coastal flooding, winter weather, strong wind. Its storm record holds 1,193 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flooding | Very High | 100.0 | $34M |
| Winter Weather | Very High | 98.6 | $1.6M |
| Strong Wind | Very High | 98.2 | $5.9M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 98.8 | $217M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively High | 96.8 | $9.4M |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 96.4 | $2.3M |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 92.3 | $9.0M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | 91.9 | $8.5M |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 96.0 | $20M |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 92.8 | $14M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 80.3 | $432K |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 37.2 | $53K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 58.9 | $3K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 21.7 | $9K |
| Hail | Very Low | 21.3 | $80K |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | 391 | 5 | $113M | 3rd of 20 | 7th of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 363 | 3 | $1.8M | 5th of 20 | 32nd of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 147 | 2 | – | 16th of 20 | 167th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 86 | 2 | $4.8M | 16th of 20 | 82nd of 3,080 |
| Hail | 82 | 0 | – | 1st of 20 | 502nd of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 52 | 3 | $633K | 1st of 20 | 5th of 3,080 |
| Heavy rain | 23 | 0 | – | 17th of 20 | 64th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 14 | 0 | – | 20th of 20 | 521st of 3,076 |
| Drought | 11 | 0 | – | 20th of 20 | 1007th of 3,063 |
| Tornadoes | 9 | 0 | $18M | 5th of 20 | 1333rd of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 4 | 0 | – | 20th of 20 | 1260th of 3,076 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 4 | 0 | – | 15th of 20 | 416th of 1,849 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 1 | 0 | – | 13th of 20 | 145th of 2,080 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Bergen County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.