Pennington County Disaster Risk

Pennington County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 79th 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.

Pennington County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: wildfire (97th percentile), flooding (76th percentile), tornado (61th percentile), earthquake (57th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is wildfire at the 97th 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.

Pennington County's composite risk percentile is 79th, compared to the South Dakota state average of 27th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Pennington County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in South Dakota.

Yes, Pennington County's wildfire risk is at the 97th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Pennington County is at the 76th 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.

Pennington County's composite risk score of 79th percentile is above the South Dakota state average of 27th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by wildfire exposure (97th percentile), along with flooding and tornado and earthquake risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.