FEMA NRI 1.19.0Updated Nov 2023 · Coverage 2014–2023Methodology

California Disaster Risk

Natural disaster risk data for all 58 counties.

Avg FEMA Rating

Relatively Moderate

Avg Percentile

89th

Counties with Data

of 58 total

County risk atlas

California hazard exposure by county

A compact 2.5D surface of FEMA National Risk Index percentiles. Toggle composite, flood, wildfire, hurricane, tornado, and earthquake risk to see which counties carry the highest relative exposure without loading the full national explorer dataset.

Counties

58/58

Avg composite

89th

Risk layers

Highest Risk Counties

Los Angeles County

Very High

100th percentile

Riverside County

Very High

100th percentile

San Bernardino County

Very High

100th percentile

Orange County

Very High

100th percentile

Alameda County

Very High

100th percentile

Lowest Risk Counties

Alpine County

Very Low

11th percentile

Sierra County

Very Low

32th percentile

Modoc County

Very Low

40th percentile

Mono County

Relatively Low

47th percentile

Lassen County

Relatively Low

73th percentile

All California Counties

County	Percentile	FEMA Rating	Flood	Wildfire	Tornado	Earthquake
Los Angeles County	100th	Very High	100.0	99.9	97.7	100.0
Riverside County	100th	Very High	99.9	100.0	86.7	99.8
San Bernardino County	100th	Very High	99.8	99.9	78.8	99.8
Orange County	100th	Very High	99.8	99.8	83.7	99.9
Alameda County	100th	Very High	99.7	97.7	65.8	100.0
Santa Clara County	100th	Very High	99.8	97.4	55.8	99.9
San Diego County	100th	Very High	99.7	100.0	64.4	99.7
San Francisco County	100th	Very High	98.6	28.7	34.9	99.8
Contra Costa County	99th	Very High	99.5	97.6	49.9	99.7
Ventura County	99th	Relatively High	99.3	99.8	42.4	99.7
Fresno County	99th	Relatively High	98.7	98.4	57.1	99.2
San Mateo County	99th	Relatively High	98.4	92.0	30.6	99.7
Sonoma County	99th	Relatively High	99.2	98.2	15.4	99.5
Santa Barbara County	99th	Relatively High	98.6	99.2	5.4	99.4
Kern County	99th	Relatively High	98.5	99.7	19.8	99.4
Monterey County	99th	Relatively High	97.3	98.7	28.7	99.4
San Joaquin County	99th	Relatively High	97.7	92.0	49.0	99.3
Sacramento County	98th	Relatively High	99.0	95.9	65.0	98.9
Santa Cruz County	98th	Relatively High	96.2	97.3	18.7	99.3
Tulare County	97th	Relatively High	98.1	98.0	30.3	97.9
Solano County	97th	Relatively High	97.4	94.5	34.1	99.0
Stanislaus County	97th	Relatively High	96.0	95.0	27.8	98.5
Merced County	97th	Relatively High	94.7	92.2	26.2	98.5
Humboldt County	97th	Relatively High	94.2	95.5	7.9	99.0
Imperial County	96th	Relatively High	94.1	76.0	11.4	99.2
Madera County	96th	Relatively High	94.0	99.4	19.3	96.9
Marin County	96th	Relatively High	97.2	94.6	18.6	98.7
San Luis Obispo County	96th	Relatively High	96.7	98.3	6.1	97.9
Napa County	95th	Relatively High	95.8	96.0	18.3	98.4
Del Norte County	94th	Relatively High	77.8	85.7	3.3	94.2
Mendocino County	94th	Relatively High	95.1	97.8	10.5	98.3
Butte County	94th	Relatively Moderate	93.2	98.5	28.2	97.5
Shasta County	93th	Relatively Moderate	94.8	99.5	15.4	96.5
Placer County	93th	Relatively Moderate	95.8	98.7	23.3	95.2
Lake County	93th	Relatively Moderate	94.1	99.1	10.9	97.0
Kings County	92th	Relatively Moderate	87.7	77.1	16.4	97.0
El Dorado County	91th	Relatively Moderate	91.7	99.7	13.7	91.6
Yolo County	91th	Relatively Moderate	89.6	87.0	22.4	97.4
Nevada County	90th	Relatively Moderate	89.9	99.4	17.9	92.1
Siskiyou County	89th	Relatively Moderate	90.9	98.6	1.9	88.2
Tehama County	89th	Relatively Moderate	90.0	98.5	12.9	94.3
Calaveras County	87th	Relatively Moderate	77.6	99.5	8.0	76.7
Mariposa County	86th	Relatively Moderate	70.8	99.0	6.4	67.5
Plumas County	86th	Relatively Moderate	87.9	98.6	9.8	92.2
San Benito County	85th	Relatively Moderate	69.4	95.4	10.2	97.3
Tuolumne County	85th	Relatively Moderate	81.0	99.3	7.9	71.0
Sutter County	84th	Relatively Moderate	71.4	77.1	14.9	94.1
Colusa County	81th	Relatively Moderate	37.9	89.1	9.3	90.8
Yuba County	81th	Relatively Low	83.8	96.8	14.9	90.1
Trinity County	79th	Relatively Low	79.0	98.5	4.7	85.0
Inyo County	79th	Relatively Low	61.6	83.7	2.9	94.3
Amador County	79th	Relatively Low	70.0	98.1	6.0	64.5
Glenn County	74th	Relatively Low	42.3	91.8	8.8	92.5
Lassen County	73th	Relatively Low	74.4	97.5	3.2	89.7
Mono County	47th	Relatively Low	46.9	91.2	2.5	89.0
Modoc County	40th	Very Low	44.8	92.9	1.1	68.8
Sierra County	32th	Very Low	37.7	95.6	2.4	66.8
Alpine County	11th	Very Low	11.2	89.1	1.1	53.0

Frequently Asked Questions

Which county in California has the highest natural disaster risk?

Los Angeles County has the highest natural disaster risk in California, rated Very High (100th percentile nationally), based on FEMA National Risk Index data.

Which county in California is the safest from natural disasters?

Alpine County has the lowest natural disaster risk in California, rated Very Low (11th percentile nationally), based on FEMA NRI data.

What natural disasters are most common in California?

California counties face varying levels of risk from floods, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes. The FEMA National Risk Index scores each county across 18 hazard types. See individual county pages for detailed hazard breakdowns.

How is natural disaster risk measured by county?

The FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) measures natural disaster risk using expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience. Scores are normalized nationally, with ratings from Very Low to Very High across 18 natural hazard types.

Prepare your household for natural disasters

FEMA's Ready.gov provides county-specific preparedness checklists and emergency planning guides.

FEMA Ready Guide →

Data Source

Risk data sourced from the FEMA National Risk Index (NRI). Risk scores are relative rankings (0–100) across all US counties — not absolute risk measures. Higher scores indicate higher relative risk compared to other counties.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not financial, insurance, or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making insurance or real estate decisions.

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