Gunnison County Disaster Risk

Gunnison County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 45th 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.

Gunnison County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: wildfire (70th percentile), flooding (57th percentile), earthquake (41th percentile), tornado (6th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is wildfire at the 70th 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.

Gunnison County's composite risk percentile is 45th, compared to the Colorado state average of 41th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Gunnison County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Colorado.

Yes, Gunnison County's wildfire risk is at the 70th percentile nationally. This is above the national median. For flooding specifically, Gunnison County is at the 57th 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.

Gunnison County's composite risk score of 45th percentile is above the Colorado state average of 41th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by wildfire exposure (70th percentile), along with flooding risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.