Utah County Disaster Risk

Utah County has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High, placing it in the 95th 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.

Utah County is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: wildfire (99th percentile), earthquake (99th percentile), flooding (90th percentile), tornado (53th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is wildfire at the 99th 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.

Utah County's composite risk percentile is 95th, compared to the Utah state average of 36th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Very Low. This means Utah County faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Utah.

Yes, Utah County's wildfire risk is at the 99th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Utah County is at the 90th 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.

Utah County's composite risk score of 95th percentile is above the Utah state average of 36th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by wildfire exposure (99th percentile), along with earthquake 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.