FEMA NRI 1.19.0Updated Nov 2023 · Coverage 2014–2023Methodology

South Carolina Disaster Risk

Natural disaster risk data for all 46 counties.

Avg FEMA Rating

Relatively Low

Avg Percentile

71th

Counties with Data

of 46 total

County risk atlas

South Carolina hazard exposure by county

A compact 2.5D surface of FEMA National Risk Index percentiles. Toggle composite, flood, wildfire, hurricane, tornado, and earthquake risk to see which counties carry the highest relative exposure without loading the full national explorer dataset.

Counties

46/46

Avg composite

71th

Risk layers

Highest Risk Counties

Charleston County

Relatively High

99th percentile

Horry County

Relatively High

98th percentile

Beaufort County

Relatively High

97th percentile

Berkeley County

Relatively High

95th percentile

Greenville County

Relatively Moderate

94th percentile

Lowest Risk Counties

McCormick County

Very Low

10th percentile

Edgefield County

Very Low

22th percentile

Calhoun County

Very Low

23th percentile

Allendale County

Very Low

35th percentile

Lee County

Very Low

36th percentile

All South Carolina Counties

County	Percentile	FEMA Rating	Flood	Wildfire	Tornado	Earthquake
Charleston County	99th	Relatively High	99.8	93.9	71.0	98.8
Horry County	98th	Relatively High	92.0	89.9	96.7	95.9
Beaufort County	97th	Relatively High	94.2	90.3	82.0	93.6
Berkeley County	95th	Relatively High	80.7	89.8	78.1	97.7
Greenville County	94th	Relatively Moderate	96.0	55.1	96.6	92.8
Dorchester County	94th	Relatively Moderate	78.7	79.0	74.8	97.9
Richland County	93th	Relatively Moderate	94.6	69.7	95.0	93.8
Georgetown County	92th	Relatively Moderate	86.4	91.3	54.8	91.4
Lexington County	91th	Relatively Moderate	90.6	75.3	97.6	91.4
Spartanburg County	91th	Relatively Moderate	92.7	59.4	88.1	91.6
Florence County	90th	Relatively Moderate	82.6	86.5	94.6	92.8
York County	89th	Relatively Moderate	90.2	63.7	96.9	85.2
Orangeburg County	88th	Relatively Moderate	75.8	79.9	66.3	95.6
Anderson County	87th	Relatively Moderate	88.1	47.4	90.8	87.4
Oconee County	86th	Relatively Moderate	81.1	63.4	81.0	80.2
Colleton County	85th	Relatively Moderate	78.2	82.8	60.6	93.7
Dillon County	84th	Relatively Moderate	61.5	81.3	80.2	85.4
Aiken County	84th	Relatively Moderate	84.4	82.2	87.4	88.9
Williamsburg County	82th	Relatively Moderate	59.8	87.2	44.5	91.8
Sumter County	82th	Relatively Moderate	76.3	79.0	74.9	91.1
Marion County	81th	Relatively Low	55.5	68.5	75.0	80.0
Lancaster County	79th	Relatively Low	81.3	45.1	88.5	82.0
Jasper County	79th	Relatively Low	59.0	76.7	35.8	82.7
Pickens County	78th	Relatively Low	84.0	50.9	55.4	83.1
Clarendon County	76th	Relatively Low	50.2	81.2	60.3	88.4
Laurens County	76th	Relatively Low	71.9	49.1	65.2	81.9
Chesterfield County	74th	Relatively Low	65.8	76.7	84.7	78.1
Greenwood County	73th	Relatively Low	66.2	54.4	85.6	84.0
Darlington County	72th	Relatively Low	64.2	74.0	84.4	86.1
Cherokee County	70th	Relatively Low	72.5	37.5	82.6	74.2
Kershaw County	67th	Relatively Low	64.4	69.7	72.9	82.3
Hampton County	65th	Relatively Low	34.7	71.4	42.9	82.9
Newberry County	62th	Relatively Low	62.9	53.9	80.9	82.3
Union County	58th	Relatively Low	53.4	53.5	79.1	74.1
Marlboro County	57th	Relatively Low	41.0	73.7	73.7	72.7
Bamberg County	46th	Relatively Low	20.6	55.9	35.5	79.3
Barnwell County	46th	Relatively Low	35.0	59.9	66.1	80.6
Abbeville County	45th	Relatively Low	37.6	39.8	66.3	74.4
Chester County	43th	Relatively Low	41.7	45.5	74.5	71.3
Fairfield County	41th	Very Low	42.6	45.9	70.5	69.5
Saluda County	40th	Very Low	46.6	52.3	64.0	66.8
Lee County	36th	Very Low	19.4	57.4	60.1	72.2
Allendale County	35th	Very Low	14.5	50.3	42.0	76.9
Calhoun County	23th	Very Low	19.4	51.8	37.9	72.5
Edgefield County	22th	Very Low	31.3	57.9	34.2	68.1
McCormick County	10th	Very Low	16.8	34.8	40.1	51.3

Frequently Asked Questions

Which county in South Carolina has the highest natural disaster risk?

Charleston County has the highest natural disaster risk in South Carolina, rated Relatively High (99th percentile nationally), based on FEMA National Risk Index data.

Which county in South Carolina is the safest from natural disasters?

McCormick County has the lowest natural disaster risk in South Carolina, rated Very Low (10th percentile nationally), based on FEMA NRI data.

What natural disasters are most common in South Carolina?

South Carolina counties face varying levels of risk from floods, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes. The FEMA National Risk Index scores each county across 18 hazard types. See individual county pages for detailed hazard breakdowns.

How is natural disaster risk measured by county?

The FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) measures natural disaster risk using expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience. Scores are normalized nationally, with ratings from Very Low to Very High across 18 natural hazard types.

Prepare your household for natural disasters

FEMA's Ready.gov provides county-specific preparedness checklists and emergency planning guides.

FEMA Ready Guide →

Data Source

Risk data sourced from the FEMA National Risk Index (NRI). Risk scores are relative rankings (0–100) across all US counties — not absolute risk measures. Higher scores indicate higher relative risk compared to other counties.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not financial, insurance, or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making insurance or real estate decisions.

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