Fayette County Disaster Risk

Fayette County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 76th 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.

Fayette County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: earthquake (95th percentile), tornado (89th percentile), wildfire (61th percentile), flooding (52th percentile), hurricane (50th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is earthquake 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.

Fayette County's composite risk percentile is 76th, compared to the Tennessee state average of 53th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Fayette County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Tennessee.

Yes, Fayette County's earthquake risk is at the 95th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Fayette County is at the 52th 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.

Fayette County's composite risk score of 76th percentile is above the Tennessee state average of 53th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by earthquake exposure (95th percentile), along with tornado and wildfire and flooding and hurricane risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.