Knox County Disaster Risk

Knox County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 55th 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.

Knox County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: earthquake (90th percentile), tornado (61th percentile), flooding (53th percentile), hurricane (26th percentile), wildfire (8th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is earthquake 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.

Knox County's composite risk percentile is 55th, compared to the Indiana state average of 46th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Knox County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Indiana.

Yes, Knox County's earthquake risk is at the 90th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Knox County is at the 53th 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.

Knox County's composite risk score of 55th percentile is above the Indiana state average of 46th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by earthquake exposure (90th percentile), along with tornado and flooding risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.