Sacramento County, California: hazard risk
FEMA rates Sacramento County's overall risk Relatively High (score 98.1 of 100, higher than 98% of rated U.S. counties); 3 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by drought, riverine flooding, earthquake. Its storm record holds 582 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively High | 99.4 | $14M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | 99.0 | $216M |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | 98.9 | $108M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 96.1 | $7.6M |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | 95.9 | $4.8M |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 65.0 | $2.1M |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 63.3 | $385K |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 79.4 | $15K |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 53.9 | $314K |
| Volcanic Activity | Very Low | 79.2 | $377 |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | 7.6 | $56K |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | 6.6 | $5K |
| Coastal Flooding | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
| Cold Wave | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
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 | 192 | 6 | $296M | 6th of 57 | 991st of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 99 | 8 | $18M | 30th of 57 | 691st of 3,080 |
| Drought | 83 | 0 | – | 6th of 57 | 972nd of 3,063 |
| Heat | 68 | 15 | – | 7th of 57 | 530th of 3,076 |
| Extreme cold | 36 | 8 | $7.4M | 13th of 57 | 826th of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 29 | 0 | $636K | 8th of 57 | 338th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 15 | 0 | $3.6M | 3rd of 57 | 2289th of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 13 | 0 | $89K | 10th of 57 | 2846th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 13 | 2 | $6.1M | 35th of 57 | 252nd of 2,972 |
| Hail | 9 | 0 | $134K | 26th of 57 | 2901st of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 3 | 0 | – | 47th of 57 | 3014th of 3,077 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 1 | 0 | – | 28th of 57 | 223rd of 2,080 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 1 | 0 | – | 42nd of 57 | 340th of 2,278 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $257K | 26th of 57 | 2235th of 3,080 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Sacramento County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.