St. Joseph County Disaster Risk

St. Joseph County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 59th 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.

St. Joseph County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: flooding (68th percentile), tornado (64th percentile), earthquake (61th percentile), hurricane (38th percentile), wildfire (17th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is flooding at the 68th 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.

St. Joseph County's composite risk percentile is 59th, compared to the Michigan state average of 50th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means St. Joseph County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Michigan.

Yes, St. Joseph County's flooding risk is at the 68th 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.

St. Joseph County's composite risk score of 59th percentile is above the Michigan state average of 50th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by flooding exposure (68th percentile), along with tornado and earthquake risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.