Illinois Natural Disaster Risk by County
Of Illinois's 102 counties, 1 has a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Cook County (score 100.0 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $6.4 billion a year.
OpenFEMA lists 66 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Illinois since 1957 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4819-IL, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Floodng, declared 20 September 2024.
Live weather alerts for Illinois Latest FEMA declarations All official warnings
Most exposed counties, hazard by hazard
Top 10 by FEMA hazard risk scoreHurricane 102 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Champaign County | Very Low | $71,738 |
| 2 | Cook County | Very Low | $56,776 |
| 3 | Vermilion County | Very Low | $41,669 |
| 4 | Franklin County | Very Low | $34,979 |
| 5 | Williamson County | Very Low | $39,083 |
| 6 | Randolph County | Very Low | $38,832 |
| 7 | Saline County | Very Low | $28,860 |
| 8 | Jackson County | Very Low | $30,402 |
| 9 | Edgar County | Very Low | $39,177 |
| 10 | Fayette County | Very Low | $34,939 |
Tornado 102 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cook County | Very High | $345 million |
| 2 | DuPage County | Very High | $67 million |
| 3 | Will County | Very High | $63 million |
| 4 | Lake County | Very High | $47 million |
| 5 | Kane County | Relatively High | $38 million |
| 6 | Madison County | Relatively High | $23 million |
| 7 | Winnebago County | Relatively High | $19 million |
| 8 | Sangamon County | Relatively High | $20 million |
| 9 | McHenry County | Relatively High | $25 million |
| 10 | Peoria County | Relatively High | $13 million |
Inland flooding 102 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cook County | Very High | $1.1 billion |
| 2 | DuPage County | Relatively High | $195 million |
| 3 | Will County | Relatively High | $193 million |
| 4 | Lake County | Relatively High | $155 million |
| 5 | Kane County | Relatively High | $99 million |
| 6 | St. Clair County | Relatively High | $72 million |
| 7 | Winnebago County | Relatively High | $68 million |
| 8 | McHenry County | Relatively Moderate | $85 million |
| 9 | Kankakee County | Relatively Moderate | $48 million |
| 10 | Madison County | Relatively Moderate | $56 million |
Coastal flooding 2 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cook County | Relatively Low | $36,524 |
| 2 | Lake County | Very Low | $5,762 |
Wildfire 102 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Will County | Very Low | $87,648 |
| 2 | Cook County | Very Low | $56,110 |
| 3 | Lake County | Very Low | $43,965 |
| 4 | DuPage County | Very Low | $22,344 |
| 5 | Kane County | Very Low | $20,754 |
| 6 | Winnebago County | Very Low | $17,063 |
| 7 | McHenry County | Very Low | $24,531 |
| 8 | Stephenson County | Very Low | $10,631 |
| 9 | Vermilion County | Very Low | $7,546 |
| 10 | Jo Daviess County | Very Low | $7,896 |
Earthquake 102 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cook County | Relatively High | $57 million |
| 2 | St. Clair County | Relatively Moderate | $51 million |
| 3 | Madison County | Relatively Moderate | $35 million |
| 4 | Jackson County | Relatively Moderate | $20 million |
| 5 | Williamson County | Relatively Moderate | $20 million |
| 6 | Jefferson County | Relatively Moderate | $16 million |
| 7 | Randolph County | Relatively Moderate | $15 million |
| 8 | Franklin County | Relatively Moderate | $12 million |
| 9 | Marion County | Relatively Moderate | $12 million |
| 10 | Sangamon County | Relatively Moderate | $14 million |
Every Illinois county, highest overall risk first
102| # | County | Overall risk | Score | Loss a year | Top hazard | Declarations | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cook County | Very High | 100.0 | $2.4 billion | Cold wave | 22 | 87 |
| 2 | DuPage County | Relatively High | 97.6 | $366 million | Cold wave | 14 | 46 |
| 3 | Will County | Relatively High | 97.3 | $348 million | Cold wave | 17 | 96 |
| 4 | Lake County | Relatively High | 96.0 | $266 million | Cold wave | 15 | 21 |
| 5 | St. Clair County | Relatively High | 94.9 | $175 million | Heat wave | 17 | 59 |
| 6 | Kane County | Relatively High | 94.6 | $198 million | Cold wave | 14 | 46 |
| 7 | Madison County | Relatively Moderate | 93.4 | $155 million | Heat wave | 14 | 58 |
| 8 | Winnebago County | Relatively Moderate | 92.4 | $122 million | Cold wave | 17 | 24 |
| 9 | Sangamon County | Relatively Moderate | 91.7 | $115 million | Tornado | 10 | 92 |
| 10 | McHenry County | Relatively Moderate | 90.8 | $142 million | Cold wave | 14 | 28 |
| 11 | Peoria County | Relatively Moderate | 90.7 | $85 million | Cold wave | 13 | 38 |
| 12 | Champaign County | Relatively Moderate | 90.5 | $93 million | Cold wave | 10 | 86 |
| 13 | Kankakee County | Relatively Moderate | 88.2 | $68 million | Cold wave | 5 | 56 |
| 14 | Jackson County | Relatively Moderate | 87.1 | $50 million | Strong wind | 13 | 37 |
| 15 | McLean County | Relatively Moderate | 86.9 | $81 million | Cold wave | 9 | 122 |
| 16 | LaSalle County | Relatively Moderate | 86.1 | $61 million | Cold wave | 18 | 66 |
| 17 | Williamson County | Relatively Moderate | 85.8 | $53 million | Strong wind | 7 | 23 |
| 18 | Tazewell County | Relatively Moderate | 84.2 | $60 million | Cold wave | 13 | 73 |
| 19 | Rock Island County | Relatively Moderate | 84.1 | $45 million | Cold wave | 13 | 34 |
| 20 | Macon County | Relatively Moderate | 83.3 | $47 million | Cold wave | 9 | 79 |
| 21 | Franklin County | Relatively Low | 80.9 | $32 million | Earthquake | 8 | 19 |
| 22 | DeKalb County | Relatively Low | 80.8 | $47 million | Cold wave | 10 | 30 |
| 23 | Kendall County | Relatively Low | 80.2 | $75 million | Cold wave | 11 | 32 |
| 24 | Macoupin County | Relatively Low | 79.9 | $39 million | Earthquake | 7 | 49 |
| 25 | Vermilion County | Relatively Low | 78.8 | $32 million | Cold wave | 10 | 70 |
| 26 | Randolph County | Relatively Low | 78.6 | $35 million | Earthquake | 15 | 40 |
| 27 | Jefferson County | Relatively Low | 77.2 | $34 million | Earthquake | 3 | 32 |
| 28 | Marion County | Relatively Low | 77.1 | $31 million | Earthquake | 6 | 38 |
| 29 | Iroquois County | Relatively Low | 74.0 | $34 million | Cold wave | 7 | 58 |
| 30 | Stephenson County | Relatively Low | 73.9 | $29 million | Hail | 12 | 21 |
| 31 | Perry County | Relatively Low | 72.1 | $26 million | Earthquake | 5 | 22 |
| 32 | Livingston County | Relatively Low | 71.8 | $33 million | Cold wave | 9 | 54 |
| 33 | Ogle County | Relatively Low | 71.1 | $36 million | Hail | 12 | 33 |
| 34 | Morgan County | Relatively Low | 71.1 | $28 million | Cold wave | 15 | 43 |
| 35 | Coles County | Relatively Low | 70.4 | $31 million | Drought | 7 | 39 |
| 36 | Saline County | Relatively Low | 70.1 | $20 million | Earthquake | 7 | 19 |
| 37 | Grundy County | Relatively Low | 66.5 | $50 million | Cold wave | 13 | 26 |
| 38 | Whiteside County | Relatively Low | 65.8 | $25 million | Drought | 12 | 40 |
| 39 | Clinton County | Relatively Low | 65.6 | $28 million | Earthquake | 5 | 27 |
| 40 | Montgomery County | Relatively Low | 65.4 | $22 million | Earthquake | 5 | 51 |
| 41 | Adams County | Relatively Low | 64.2 | $26 million | Heat wave | 19 | 35 |
| 42 | Bureau County | Relatively Low | 62.3 | $22 million | Drought | 15 | 47 |
| 43 | Douglas County | Relatively Low | 62.1 | $20 million | Hail | 11 | 29 |
| 44 | Massac County | Relatively Low | 61.6 | $19 million | Earthquake | 10 | 15 |
| 45 | Fulton County | Relatively Low | 59.0 | $21 million | Hail | 18 | 50 |
| 46 | Logan County | Relatively Low | 58.1 | $20 million | Drought | 10 | 73 |
| 47 | Boone County | Relatively Low | 57.3 | $21 million | Hail | 9 | 23 |
| 48 | Knox County | Relatively Low | 57.2 | $18 million | Strong wind | 9 | 33 |
| 49 | Henry County | Relatively Low | 57.1 | $24 million | Strong wind | 14 | 71 |
| 50 | Union County | Relatively Low | 55.4 | $15 million | Earthquake | 13 | 23 |
| 51 | Washington County | Relatively Low | 55.2 | $18 million | Earthquake | 7 | 35 |
| 52 | Lee County | Relatively Low | 54.4 | $21 million | Strong wind | 8 | 40 |
| 53 | White County | Relatively Low | 54.3 | $15 million | Earthquake | 8 | 24 |
| 54 | Christian County | Relatively Low | 54.0 | $22 million | Drought | 6 | 58 |
| 55 | Effingham County | Relatively Low | 53.8 | $20 million | Earthquake | 5 | 27 |
| 56 | Shelby County | Relatively Low | 51.7 | $20 million | Drought | 8 | 35 |
| 57 | Jo Daviess County | Relatively Low | 51.3 | $16 million | Landslide | 14 | 17 |
| 58 | Johnson County | Relatively Low | 51.1 | $12 million | Earthquake | 5 | 20 |
| 59 | Lawrence County | Relatively Low | 49.2 | $14 million | Drought | 7 | 7 |
| 60 | Pulaski County | Relatively Low | 49.0 | $11 million | Earthquake | 12 | 11 |
| 61 | Fayette County | Relatively Low | 48.8 | $15 million | Earthquake | 6 | 27 |
| 62 | Richland County | Relatively Low | 46.7 | $12 million | Earthquake | 6 | 17 |
| 63 | Moultrie County | Relatively Low | 45.0 | $10 million | Drought | 8 | 15 |
| 64 | Alexander County | Relatively Low | 44.1 | $9.5 million | Earthquake | 15 | 14 |
| 65 | Mason County | Relatively Low | 43.0 | $12 million | Drought | 16 | 41 |
| 66 | Monroe County | Very Low | 41.9 | $23 million | Heat wave | 18 | 39 |
| 67 | Clay County | Very Low | 41.1 | $12 million | Drought | 3 | 19 |
| 68 | Wayne County | Very Low | 40.7 | $13 million | Earthquake | 6 | 28 |
| 69 | Woodford County | Very Low | 39.9 | $22 million | Cold wave | 12 | 54 |
| 70 | Carroll County | Very Low | 39.0 | $11 million | Drought | 14 | 21 |
| 71 | Cass County | Very Low | 38.6 | $12 million | Cold wave | 19 | 20 |
| 72 | McDonough County | Very Low | 37.5 | $10 million | Drought | 9 | 44 |
| 73 | Crawford County | Very Low | 37.0 | $14 million | Earthquake | 7 | 19 |
| 74 | Bond County | Very Low | 36.2 | $11 million | Earthquake | 5 | 24 |
| 75 | Piatt County | Very Low | 35.0 | $13 million | Drought | 7 | 37 |
| 76 | Edgar County | Very Low | 34.9 | $12 million | Drought | 7 | 29 |
| 77 | Gallatin County | Very Low | 33.9 | $6.9 million | Earthquake | 9 | 13 |
| 78 | Hancock County | Very Low | 31.1 | $8.4 million | Drought | 17 | 29 |
| 79 | Hamilton County | Very Low | 30.8 | $12 million | Earthquake | 8 | 12 |
| 80 | Pike County | Very Low | 30.3 | $9.6 million | Landslide | 23 | 33 |
| 81 | De Witt County | Very Low | 29.3 | $9.5 million | Drought | 9 | 26 |
| 82 | Menard County | Very Low | 28.7 | $8.1 million | Drought | 10 | 16 |
| 83 | Clark County | Very Low | 27.3 | $8.8 million | Earthquake | 8 | 11 |
| 84 | Marshall County | Very Low | 27.2 | $8.7 million | Drought | 12 | 18 |
| 85 | Ford County | Very Low | 26.2 | $8.8 million | Cold wave | 6 | 39 |
| 86 | Edwards County | Very Low | 26.1 | $6.2 million | Drought | 5 | 10 |
| 87 | Cumberland County | Very Low | 25.9 | $7.4 million | Drought | 7 | 16 |
| 88 | Wabash County | Very Low | 24.8 | $7.6 million | Earthquake | 8 | 13 |
| 89 | Jasper County | Very Low | 20.4 | $10.0 million | Drought | 7 | 17 |
| 90 | Jersey County | Very Low | 18.9 | $11 million | Landslide | 18 | 20 |
| 91 | Henderson County | Very Low | 17.5 | $4.9 million | Drought | 14 | 15 |
| 92 | Warren County | Very Low | 15.5 | $7.0 million | Drought | 7 | 38 |
| 93 | Pope County | Very Low | 14.9 | $5.4 million | Earthquake | 10 | 10 |
| 94 | Greene County | Very Low | 13.0 | $6.1 million | Landslide | 17 | 21 |
| 95 | Schuyler County | Very Low | 11.4 | $4.1 million | Landslide | 16 | 24 |
| 96 | Putnam County | Very Low | 9.2 | $4.7 million | Drought | 9 | 12 |
| 97 | Mercer County | Very Low | 8.8 | $6.9 million | Drought | 13 | 46 |
| 98 | Hardin County | Very Low | 8.3 | $3.6 million | Earthquake | 6 | 5 |
| 99 | Stark County | Very Low | 7.3 | $4.6 million | Drought | 6 | 15 |
| 100 | Calhoun County | Very Low | 6.1 | $4.1 million | Landslide | 23 | 7 |
| 101 | Brown County | Very Low | 4.7 | $3.2 million | Landslide | 14 | 12 |
| 102 | Scott County | Very Low | 2.8 | $3.7 million | Drought | 16 | 17 |
Score: FEMA's national percentile (higher = more risk). Declarations: federal declarations that named the county since 1953, not counting COVID-19. Tornadoes: NOAA SPC tornadoes that touched the county, 1950–2025.
Latest federal declarations in Illinois
Other states and territories
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What this page shows, and what it misses
FEMA's National Risk Index compares every US county with every other for 18 natural hazards, combining expected losses with social vulnerability and community resilience. It is a planning-level estimate for nationwide comparison, not a flood-zone map and not the risk to any one property — for flood zones use FEMA's Flood Map Service Center ↗. Federal declarations exclude state declarations and SBA or USDA designations.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Risk Index Dataset: National Risk Index Counties - v1.20.0 (December 2025). Retrieved from https://services.arcgis.com/XG15cJAlne2vxtgt/ArcGIS/rest/services/National_Risk_Index_Counties/FeatureServer/0/query on November 2, 2026, 1:20 PM EST. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), OpenFEMA Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2, retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries on November 2, 2026, 1:21 PM EST. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Tornado records: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center, Severe Weather Database, tornadoes 1950–2025 (https://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/data/1950-2025_actual_tornadoes.csv, downloaded 2 November 2026). Public domain; not endorsed by NOAA. Compiled by Global Incident Tracker.
Questions about Illinois
Which county in Illinois has the highest natural disaster risk?
Of Illinois's 102 counties, 1 has a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Cook County (score 100.0 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $6.4 billion a year.
Which Illinois counties are most at risk from tornadoes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index tornado risk score: Cook County, DuPage County, Will County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
Which Illinois counties are most at risk from hurricanes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index hurricane risk score: Champaign County, Cook County, Vermilion County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Illinois had?
OpenFEMA lists 66 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Illinois since 1957 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4819-IL, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Floodng, declared 20 September 2024.