Salt Lake County Disaster Risk

Salt Lake County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High, placing it in the 99th 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.

Salt Lake County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: earthquake (100th percentile), wildfire (98th percentile), flooding (93th percentile), tornado (71th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is earthquake at the 100th 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.

Salt Lake County's composite risk percentile is 99th, compared to the Utah state average of 36th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Salt Lake County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Utah.

Yes, Salt Lake County's earthquake risk is at the 100th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Salt Lake County is at the 93th 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.

Salt Lake County's composite risk score of 99th percentile is above the Utah state average of 36th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by earthquake exposure (100th percentile), along with wildfire and flooding and tornado risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.