Kern County Disaster Risk

Kern County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High, placing it in the 99th percentile nationally out of 3,144 counties. This composite score reflects the county's overall exposure to natural hazards including floods, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes, weighted by expected annual loss and social vulnerability.

Kern County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: wildfire (100th percentile), earthquake (99th percentile), flooding (98th percentile), tornado (20th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is wildfire at the 100th percentile nationally. These scores are derived from FEMA's National Risk Index, which analyzes expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience for each hazard type.

Kern County's composite risk percentile is 99th, compared to the California state average of 89th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Moderate. This means Kern County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in California.

Yes, Kern County's wildfire risk is at the 100th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Kern County is at the 98th percentile.

FEMA's National Risk Index (NRI) calculates risk scores for 18 natural hazard types across all U.S. counties and census tracts. The composite score combines Expected Annual Loss (estimated dollar losses from each hazard), Social Vulnerability (demographic factors affecting disaster impact), and Community Resilience (ability to recover). Percentile scores rank each county against all 3,144 U.S. counties, and risk ratings range from Very Low to Very High.

Kern County's composite risk score of 99th percentile is above the California state average of 89th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by wildfire exposure (100th percentile), along with earthquake and flooding risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.