Earthquakes strike without warning and can cause catastrophic damage across wide regions. While California dominates public awareness of earthquake risk, significant seismic hazard exists along the West Coast, in Alaska, and in the New Madrid Seismic Zone of the central United States.
Using FEMA National Risk Index earthquake risk scores, we identified the 25 counties with the highest earthquake risk in America.
The 25 Counties with the Highest Earthquake Risk
Los Angeles County, California has the highest earthquake risk score at 100. These counties face the greatest seismic exposure:
Note
Standard homeowner insurance policies exclude earthquake damage. In California, the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) offers policies. In other high-risk states, private earthquake insurance is available but can be expensive.
Methodology
Earthquake risk scores come from the FEMA National Risk Index (2020), measuring expected annual loss from earthquakes at the county level. Scores are percentile ranks on a 0-100 scale. Counties with zero earthquake risk are excluded. Counties are ranked by earthquake risk score in descending order.
Data source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI). Risk scores use percentile-rank methodology on a 0-100 scale. All figures are relative rankings and do not represent absolute predictions of natural disaster occurrence.