Marquette County Disaster Risk

Marquette County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 70th 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.

Marquette County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: wildfire (69th percentile), flooding (59th percentile), tornado (22th percentile), earthquake (2th percentile), hurricane (0th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is wildfire at the 69th 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.

Marquette County's composite risk percentile is 70th, compared to the Michigan state average of 50th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Marquette County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Michigan.

Yes, Marquette County's wildfire risk is at the 69th percentile nationally. This is above the national median. For flooding specifically, Marquette County is at the 59th 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.

Marquette County's composite risk score of 70th percentile is above the Michigan state average of 50th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by wildfire exposure (69th 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.