Marion County Disaster Risk

Marion County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 81th 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.

Marion County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (95th percentile), earthquake (80th percentile), tornado (75th percentile), wildfire (69th percentile), flooding (56th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane at the 95th 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.

Marion County's composite risk percentile is 81th, compared to the South Carolina state average of 71th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Marion County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in South Carolina.

Yes, Marion County's hurricane risk is at the 95th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Marion County is at the 56th 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.

Marion County's composite risk score of 81th percentile is above the South Carolina state average of 71th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by hurricane exposure (95th percentile), along with earthquake and tornado and wildfire and flooding risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.