Mesa County Disaster Risk

Mesa County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 75th 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.

Mesa County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: wildfire (90th percentile), earthquake (85th percentile), flooding (82th percentile), tornado (18th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is wildfire at the 90th 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.

Mesa County's composite risk percentile is 75th, compared to the Colorado state average of 41th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Mesa County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Colorado.

Yes, Mesa County's wildfire risk is at the 90th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Mesa County is at the 82th 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.

Mesa County's composite risk score of 75th percentile is above the Colorado state average of 41th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by wildfire exposure (90th 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.