The Safest U.S. States for Natural Disasters — Preparedness

No place in the United States is completely immune from natural disasters.

Every state faces unique environmental challenges — from hurricanes and tornadoes to earthquakes, flooding, winter storms, wildfires, drought, and extreme heat. Understanding those risks doesn't eliminate them, but it does allow individuals, families, and communities to prepare more effectively.

This analysis ranks all 50 states using FEMA's National Risk Index — a composite score that combines historical event frequency, exposure of buildings, population, and agriculture, and community vulnerability across 18 hazard types.

Section 01

Methodology

Rankings on this page use FEMA's Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score — a 0–100 index representing the average yearly cost of natural hazards in a state, normalized to national percentile. Lower scores mean lower exposure. The "primary" and "secondary" hazards for each state are the two individual hazards contributing the most to that state's EAL.

Source

FEMA National Risk Index

State-level Expected Annual Loss scores across 18 hazards (Dec 2025 release).

Source

NOAA Storm Events Database

2025 severe weather events used for the Recent Events feed.

Source

NIFC IMSR

2026 year-to-date wildfire incidents from the National Interagency Fire Center.

Source

United States Geological Survey (USGS)

Earthquake, volcano, fault line and landslide risk (feeds into NRI).

This ranking is intended as a preparedness reference using FEMA's most recent published state-level dataset. It is not a prediction of future disasters, and individual county-level risk within a state can vary widely.

Section 02

Weighted Hazard Categories

FEMA's index folds 18 distinct hazards into one score. These are the eight that drive the most variation between states.

Hazard Category Weights (illustrative)

Hurricanes

20%

Flooding

15%

Wildfires

15%

Tornadoes

15%

Earthquakes

10%

Winter Storms

10%

Extreme Heat

10%

Drought

Section 03

Interactive United States Map

Hover any state to see its EAL score, FEMA rating, and top two hazards.

RiskVery LowRelatively LowRelatively ModerateRelatively HighVery HighSource: FEMA National Risk Index (state-level, Dec 2025).

Hover a state to see its risk profile.

Section 04

Top 10 Lowest-Risk States

Ranked from lowest to highest overall EAL score.

Very Low

Rhode Island

EAL Score

7.1

Region

Northeast

Primary hazard

Hurricane

Secondary

Coastal Flooding

Very Low

Vermont

EAL Score

8.9

Region

Northeast

Primary hazard

Landslide

Secondary

Avalanche

Very Low

District of Columbia

EAL Score

10.7

Region

Northeast

Primary hazard

Hurricane

Secondary

Earthquake

Very Low

Wyoming

EAL Score

14.3

Region

Mountain West

Primary hazard

Avalanche

Secondary

Landslide

Very Low

Delaware

EAL Score

16.1

Region

Northeast

Primary hazard

Coastal Flooding

Secondary

Hurricane

Very Low

Maine

EAL Score

17.9

Region

Northeast

Primary hazard

Ice Storm

Secondary

Winter Weather

Very Low

New Hampshire

EAL Score

19.6

Region

Northeast

Primary hazard

Avalanche

Secondary

Hurricane

Very Low

North Dakota

EAL Score

21.4

Region

Midwest

Primary hazard

Winter Weather

Secondary

Hail

Relatively Low

Idaho

EAL Score

23.2

Region

Mountain West

Primary hazard

Wildfire

Secondary

Landslide

#10

Relatively Low

Montana

EAL Score

25.0

Region

Mountain West

Primary hazard

Avalanche

Secondary

Landslide

Section 05

Top 10 Highest-Risk States

Ranked from highest to lowest overall EAL score. High risk isn't a verdict — it's a preparedness signal.

Very High

California

EAL Score

100.0

Region

Pacific Coast

Primary hazard

Drought

Secondary

Earthquake

Relatively High

Texas

EAL Score

98.2

Region

South

Primary hazard

Hail

Secondary

Tornado

Relatively High

Florida

EAL Score

96.4

Region

South

Primary hazard

Coastal Flooding

Secondary

Hurricane

Relatively High

Illinois

EAL Score

94.6

Region

Midwest

Primary hazard

Cold Wave

Secondary

Tornado

Relatively Moderate

Washington

EAL Score

92.9

Region

Pacific Coast

Primary hazard

Earthquake

Secondary

Landslide

Relatively Moderate

North Carolina

EAL Score

91.1

Region

South

Primary hazard

Winter Weather

Secondary

Hurricane

Relatively Moderate

New York

EAL Score

89.3

Region

Northeast

Primary hazard

Inland Flooding

Secondary

Coastal Flooding

Relatively Moderate

Pennsylvania

EAL Score

87.5

Region

Northeast

Primary hazard

Winter Weather

Secondary

Heat Wave

Relatively Moderate

Missouri

EAL Score

85.7

Region

Midwest

Primary hazard

Heat Wave

Secondary

Ice Storm

#10

Relatively Moderate

Arizona

EAL Score

83.9

Region

Mountain West

Primary hazard

Heat Wave

Secondary

Wildfire

Section 06

Complete Rankings

Rank	State	Score	FEMA Rating	Primary	Secondary	Region
1	Rhode Island	7.1	Very Low	Hurricane	Coastal Flooding	Northeast
2	Vermont	8.9	Very Low	Landslide	Avalanche	Northeast
3	District of Columbia	10.7	Very Low	Hurricane	Earthquake	Northeast
4	Wyoming	14.3	Very Low	Avalanche	Landslide	Mountain West
5	Delaware	16.1	Very Low	Coastal Flooding	Hurricane	Northeast
6	Maine	17.9	Very Low	Ice Storm	Winter Weather	Northeast
7	New Hampshire	19.6	Very Low	Avalanche	Hurricane	Northeast
8	North Dakota	21.4	Very Low	Winter Weather	Hail	Midwest
9	Idaho	23.2	Relatively Low	Wildfire	Landslide	Mountain West
10	Montana	25.0	Relatively Low	Avalanche	Landslide	Mountain West
11	South Dakota	26.8	Relatively Low	Winter Weather	Drought	Midwest
12	Alaska	28.6	Relatively Low	Avalanche	Landslide	Alaska
13	New Mexico	30.4	Relatively Low	Wildfire	Drought	Mountain West
14	West Virginia	32.1	Relatively Low	Landslide	Inland Flooding	South
15	Maryland	33.9	Relatively Low	Heat Wave	Winter Weather	Northeast
16	Hawaii	35.7	Relatively Low	Volcanic Activity	Landslide	Hawaii
17	Connecticut	37.5	Relatively Low	Coastal Flooding	Hurricane	Northeast
18	Nebraska	39.3	Relatively Low	Hail	Drought	Midwest
19	Nevada	41.1	Relatively Low	Wildfire	Heat Wave	Mountain West
20	Massachusetts	42.9	Relatively Low	Coastal Flooding	Hurricane	Northeast
21	Utah	44.6	Relatively Low	Earthquake	Wildfire	Mountain West
22	Mississippi	46.4	Relatively Low	Hurricane	Drought	South
23	Arkansas	48.2	Relatively Low	Ice Storm	Earthquake	South
24	Kansas	50.0	Relatively Low	Hail	Winter Weather	Midwest
25	Iowa	51.8	Relatively Low	Drought	Hail	Midwest
26	Virginia	53.6	Relatively Low	Drought	Hurricane	South
27	Colorado	55.4	Relatively Moderate	Hail	Lightning	Mountain West
28	Oklahoma	57.1	Relatively Moderate	Ice Storm	Drought	South
29	Kentucky	58.9	Relatively Moderate	Ice Storm	Strong Wind	South
30	Indiana	60.7	Relatively Moderate	Tornado	Strong Wind	Midwest
31	Alabama	62.5	Relatively Moderate	Tornado	Lightning	South
32	Oregon	64.3	Relatively Moderate	Earthquake	Wildfire	Pacific Coast
33	Minnesota	66.1	Relatively Moderate	Cold Wave	Strong Wind	Midwest
34	Wisconsin	67.9	Relatively Moderate	Cold Wave	Hail	Midwest
35	Michigan	69.6	Relatively Moderate	Strong Wind	Tornado	Midwest
36	South Carolina	71.4	Relatively Moderate	Hurricane	Ice Storm	South
37	Tennessee	73.2	Relatively Moderate	Cold Wave	Earthquake	South
38	Ohio	75.0	Relatively Moderate	Ice Storm	Lightning	Midwest
39	New Jersey	78.6	Relatively Moderate	Strong Wind	Coastal Flooding	Northeast
40	Georgia	80.4	Relatively Moderate	Lightning	Tornado	South
41	Louisiana	82.1	Relatively Moderate	Hurricane	Coastal Flooding	South
42	Arizona	83.9	Relatively Moderate	Heat Wave	Wildfire	Mountain West
43	Missouri	85.7	Relatively Moderate	Heat Wave	Ice Storm	Midwest
44	Pennsylvania	87.5	Relatively Moderate	Winter Weather	Heat Wave	Northeast
45	New York	89.3	Relatively Moderate	Inland Flooding	Coastal Flooding	Northeast
46	North Carolina	91.1	Relatively Moderate	Winter Weather	Hurricane	South
47	Washington	92.9	Relatively Moderate	Earthquake	Landslide	Pacific Coast
48	Illinois	94.6	Relatively High	Cold Wave	Tornado	Midwest
49	Florida	96.4	Relatively High	Coastal Flooding	Hurricane	South
50	Texas	98.2	Relatively High	Hail	Tornado	South
51	California	100.0	Very High	Drought	Earthquake	Pacific Coast

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, state-level release (December 2025).

Section 07

Recent Notable Events

A sample of impactful 2025–2026 events pulled from NOAA's Storm Events Database and NIFC wildfire reports.

AKEarthquake· M4.3 · 72 km SE of Atka, Alaska
Jul 26, 2026 · USGS
—
AKEarthquake· M5.8 · 99 km SE of Atka, Alaska
Jul 26, 2026 · USGS
—
AKEarthquake· M4.1 · 80 km SE of Atka, Alaska
Jul 26, 2026 · USGS
—
AKEarthquake· M4.0 · 136 km SSE of Atka, Alaska
Jul 25, 2026 · USGS
—
AKEarthquake· M5.0 · 91 km SE of Atka, Alaska
Jul 25, 2026 · USGS
—
AKEarthquake· M4.2 · 227 km ESE of Attu Station, Alaska
Jul 24, 2026 · USGS
—
PREarthquake· M4.8 · 54 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
Jul 24, 2026 · USGS
—
AKEarthquake· M5.0 · 94 km SSE of Adak, Alaska
Jul 24, 2026 · USGS
—
ORWildfire· Big Grass
Jul 23, 2026 · NIFC IMSR
—
OREarthquake· M4.2 · 150 km WNW of Port Orford, Oregon
Jul 23, 2026 · USGS
—
TXEarthquake· M5.0 · 38 km SSE of Spearman, Texas
Jul 23, 2026 · USGS
—
AKEarthquake· M5.1 · 92 km SE of Atka, Alaska
Jul 23, 2026 · USGS
—
AKEarthquake· M4.6 · 95 km SE of Atka, Alaska
Jul 23, 2026 · USGS
—
AKEarthquake· M4.9 · 96 km SSE of Akhiok, Alaska
Jul 22, 2026 · USGS
—
ORWildfire· Cow Camp Complex
Jul 21, 2026 · NIFC IMSR
—
OREarthquake· M4.6 · 214 km W of Bandon, Oregon
Jul 21, 2026 · USGS
—
CAWildfire· Rock
Jul 20, 2026 · NIFC IMSR
—
AKEarthquake· M4.0 · 72 km SSW of Atka, Alaska
Jul 20, 2026 · USGS
—
AKEarthquake· M4.0 · 27 km SE of Adak, Alaska
Jul 19, 2026 · USGS
—
AKEarthquake· M4.1 · 235 km ESE of Attu Station, Alaska
Jul 19, 2026 · USGS
—
CAWildfire· Biscar
Jul 18, 2026 · NIFC IMSR
—
AKEarthquake· M4.0 · 102 km SSE of Akhiok, Alaska
Jul 18, 2026 · USGS
—
AKEarthquake· M4.3 · 104 km SSE of Akhiok, Alaska
Jul 18, 2026 · USGS
—
ORWildfire· 0512 Box Springs
Jul 17, 2026 · NIFC IMSR
—
WAWildfire· Modrite
Jul 17, 2026 · NIFC IMSR
—
ORWildfire· Hay Creek Complex
Jul 17, 2026 · NIFC IMSR
—
ORWildfire· Powder River
Jul 17, 2026 · NIFC IMSR
—
FLWildfire· Berger 50
Jul 17, 2026 · NIFC IMSR
—
AKEarthquake· M4.2 · 212 km ESE of Attu Station, Alaska
Jul 17, 2026 · USGS
—
WAWildfire· Neff Jones
Jul 16, 2026 · NIFC IMSR
—

Section 08

Regional Breakdown

Region

Northeast

Typical hazards

Nor'easters, winter storms, coastal flooding, occasional hurricanes.

Seasonality

Late fall through early spring for winter; summer for coastal storms.

Preparedness priorities

Snow removal, heating redundancy, sump pumps, coastal evacuation plans.

Region

Midwest

Typical hazards

Tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, river flooding, blizzards.

Seasonality

Tornadoes peak April–June; winter storms December–February.

Preparedness priorities

Basement shelter, NOAA weather radio, generator, flood insurance in river basins.

Region

South

Typical hazards

Hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, extreme heat.

Seasonality

Hurricane season June 1–November 30; tornadoes year-round.

Preparedness priorities

Hurricane shutters, elevation certificates, evacuation routes, cooling redundancy.

Region

Mountain West

Typical hazards

Wildfire, drought, winter storms, localized flooding.

Seasonality

Fire season mid-summer through early fall.

Preparedness priorities

Defensible space, air filtration, water storage, chains and winter driving kit.

Region

Pacific Coast

Typical hazards

Wildfire, earthquake, atmospheric rivers, tsunami exposure.

Seasonality

Fire season summer–fall; atmospheric rivers October–March.

Preparedness priorities

Seismic retrofits, go-bags, water storage, wildfire evacuation plans.

Region

Alaska

Typical hazards

Earthquakes, extreme cold, remote logistics failure, volcanic ash.

Seasonality

Winter dominates preparedness; seismic risk year-round.

Preparedness priorities

Redundant heat and fuel, satellite communication, longer supply windows.

Region

Hawaii

Typical hazards

Hurricanes, volcanic activity, tsunami, flash flooding.

Seasonality

Central Pacific hurricane season June–November.

Preparedness priorities

Elevation awareness, tsunami evacuation routes, hurricane supply reserves.

Section 09

Most Common U.S. Hazards

Flooding

Where: River basins, coastal plains, and flash-flood-prone canyons nationwide.

Season: Spring snowmelt, summer thunderstorms, tropical systems.

Tip: Know your flood zone. One inch of water can cause $25k+ in damage.

Wildfire

Where: Western U.S., but increasingly the Southeast and Great Plains.

Season: Late summer through fall in most regions.

Tip: Maintain defensible space and pre-plan two evacuation routes.

Earthquake

Where: West Coast, Alaska, and the New Madrid seismic zone.

Season: Year-round; no seasonal pattern.

Tip: Secure heavy furniture and water heaters; keep shoes near the bed.

Tornado

Where: Great Plains, Deep South, Ohio and Tennessee valleys.

Season: Peak April–June, with a secondary fall spike in the South.

Tip: Interior room, lowest floor, NOAA radio with battery backup.

Hurricane

Where: Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Texas to Maine.

Season: June 1 – November 30, peak mid-August through October.

Tip: Know your evacuation zone before a storm is named.

Extreme Heat

Where: Desert Southwest, Southeast, and increasingly the Pacific Northwest.

Season: Late June through August.

Tip: Plan for grid stress; a single cool room and hydration plan save lives.

Winter Storm

Where: Northeast, Upper Midwest, Mountain West, and Alaska.

Season: November through March.

Tip: Heat redundancy, carbon monoxide detectors, and 72 hours of water.

Drought

Where: Western U.S., Southern Plains, and parts of the Southeast.

Season: Multi-year cycles rather than a single season.

Tip: Stored water and awareness of local well and reservoir conditions.

Section 10

What This Means for Homeowners

Homeowner priorities

Insurance. Review flood and wildfire policies annually; standard homeowners policies exclude both.
Backup power. A whole-home generator or a portable power station covers most outage scenarios.
Home hardening. Impact windows, roof strapping, and defensible space measurably reduce loss.
Emergency water. Store at least one gallon per person per day for 72 hours; more in arid regions.
Evacuation. Know two routes out of your neighborhood and one destination beyond your county.
Fire protection. Smoke and CO detectors on every level, an extinguisher in the kitchen and garage.

Section 11

What This Means for Renters

Renter priorities

Apartment preparedness. Identify the safest interior room and how to shut off water and gas.
Renter's insurance. Confirm coverage for wind, fire, and personal belongings — flood is usually separate.
Emergency kits. A single duffel with 72 hours of supplies works better than a scattered pantry.
Communication plans. An out-of-state contact and a written meet-up point matter when cell towers fail.
Portable power. A small battery station keeps phones, medical devices, and a fan running for days.

Section 12

Common Misconceptions

The safest state still has natural hazards.

Even the lowest-risk states experience winter storms, flooding, or severe weather. "Safe" is relative.

Cold climates are not immune.

Northern states face blizzards, ice storms, and cold-weather power failures that can be just as deadly as heat.

Wildfires aren't only a western issue.

The Southeast, Great Plains, and parts of the Northeast all see meaningful wildfire activity in dry years.

Hurricanes aren't America's only billion-dollar disasters.

Severe convective storms, drought, and inland flooding drive a growing share of federal disaster costs.

Preparedness matters more than your ZIP code.

A prepared household in a high-risk state often fares better than an unprepared one in a low-risk state.

"Preparedness isn't about finding the perfect place to live. It's about understanding the hazards where you live and planning accordingly."

Closing

Final Thoughts

Natural disasters can't be eliminated, but their impact can often be reduced through preparation. No ranking should replace local knowledge, emergency planning, or common sense. Understanding your state's hazards is the first step toward building resilience.

Transparency

Methodology

Weighted Hazard Categories

Interactive United States Map

Top 10 Lowest-Risk States

Top 10 Highest-Risk States

Complete Rankings

Recent Notable Events

Regional Breakdown

Most Common U.S. Hazards

What This Means for Homeowners

What This Means for Renters

Common Misconceptions

Final Thoughts

About Our Data