Butte County Disaster Risk

Butte County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low, placing it in the 23th 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.

Butte County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: wildfire (87th percentile), flooding (33th percentile), earthquake (28th percentile), tornado (23th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is wildfire at the 87th 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.

Butte County's composite risk percentile is 23th, compared to the South Dakota state average of 27th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Butte County faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in South Dakota.

Yes, Butte County's wildfire risk is at the 87th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Butte County is at the 33th 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.

Butte County's composite risk score of 23th percentile is below the South Dakota state average of 27th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is wildfire at the 87th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.