Summit County Disaster Risk

Summit County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 60th 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.

Summit County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (65th percentile), wildfire (54th percentile), earthquake (47th percentile), tornado (22th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 65th 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.

Summit County's composite risk percentile is 60th, compared to the Colorado state average of 41th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Summit County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Colorado.

Yes, Summit County's flooding risk is at the 65th percentile nationally. This is above the national median.

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.

Summit County's composite risk score of 60th percentile is above the Colorado state average of 41th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by flooding exposure (65th percentile), along with wildfire risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.