Iowa Natural Disaster Risk by County
Of Iowa's 99 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Polk County (score 92.0 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $1.8 billion a year.
OpenFEMA lists 76 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Iowa since 1953 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4942-IA, Severe Storms and Flooding, declared 1 September 2026.
Live weather alerts for Iowa Latest FEMA declarations All official warnings
Most exposed counties, hazard by hazard
Top 10 by FEMA hazard risk scoreHurricane 70 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polk County | Very Low | $14,289 |
| 2 | Washington County | Very Low | $5,979 |
| 3 | Carroll County | Very Low | $6,458 |
| 4 | Delaware County | Very Low | $5,936 |
| 5 | Hardin County | Very Low | $5,472 |
| 6 | Hamilton County | Very Low | $6,149 |
| 7 | Lee County | Very Low | $4,827 |
| 8 | Cass County | Very Low | $3,760 |
| 9 | Scott County | Very Low | $5,772 |
| 10 | Fayette County | Very Low | $4,274 |
Tornado 99 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johnson County | Relatively High | $36 million |
| 2 | Polk County | Relatively High | $31 million |
| 3 | Woodbury County | Relatively High | $16 million |
| 4 | Linn County | Relatively High | $16 million |
| 5 | Pottawattamie County | Relatively High | $14 million |
| 6 | Webster County | Relatively High | $9.9 million |
| 7 | Black Hawk County | Relatively High | $9.2 million |
| 8 | Story County | Relatively High | $10 million |
| 9 | Cerro Gordo County | Relatively Moderate | $6.5 million |
| 10 | Carroll County | Relatively Moderate | $6.2 million |
Inland flooding 99 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polk County | Relatively Moderate | $61 million |
| 2 | Scott County | Relatively Moderate | $40 million |
| 3 | Linn County | Relatively Moderate | $36 million |
| 4 | Johnson County | Relatively Moderate | $27 million |
| 5 | Woodbury County | Relatively Moderate | $18 million |
| 6 | Black Hawk County | Relatively Moderate | $20 million |
| 7 | Pottawattamie County | Relatively Moderate | $18 million |
| 8 | Lee County | Relatively Low | $13 million |
| 9 | Wapello County | Relatively Low | $12 million |
| 10 | Story County | Relatively Low | $16 million |
Wildfire 99 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woodbury County | Relatively Low | $931,847 |
| 2 | Plymouth County | Relatively Low | $199,568 |
| 3 | Davis County | Relatively Low | $110,153 |
| 4 | Pottawattamie County | Relatively Low | $161,485 |
| 5 | Tama County | Relatively Low | $108,550 |
| 6 | Johnson County | Relatively Low | $163,721 |
| 7 | Monona County | Relatively Low | $111,715 |
| 8 | Marshall County | Very Low | $97,066 |
| 9 | Wapello County | Very Low | $91,993 |
| 10 | Iowa County | Very Low | $109,195 |
Earthquake 99 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott County | Relatively Low | $1.4 million |
| 2 | Polk County | Relatively Low | $819,880 |
| 3 | Linn County | Very Low | $498,291 |
| 4 | Des Moines County | Very Low | $408,499 |
| 5 | Lee County | Very Low | $359,802 |
| 6 | Muscatine County | Very Low | $349,606 |
| 7 | Clinton County | Very Low | $220,428 |
| 8 | Johnson County | Very Low | $294,022 |
| 9 | Henry County | Very Low | $183,408 |
| 10 | Black Hawk County | Very Low | $166,639 |
Every Iowa county, highest overall risk first
99| # | County | Overall risk | Score | Loss a year | Top hazard | Declarations | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polk County | Relatively Moderate | 92.0 | $138 million | Strong wind | 19 | 70 |
| 2 | Johnson County | Relatively Moderate | 87.4 | $96 million | Strong wind | 22 | 45 |
| 3 | Linn County | Relatively Moderate | 86.7 | $79 million | Strong wind | 21 | 66 |
| 4 | Scott County | Relatively Moderate | 84.9 | $66 million | Strong wind | 18 | 64 |
| 5 | Woodbury County | Relatively Moderate | 83.3 | $51 million | Tornado | 16 | 55 |
| 6 | Pottawattamie County | Relatively Low | 80.4 | $50 million | Hail | 24 | 55 |
| 7 | Black Hawk County | Relatively Low | 76.6 | $42 million | Drought | 18 | 40 |
| 8 | Cerro Gordo County | Relatively Low | 69.6 | $27 million | Drought | 13 | 40 |
| 9 | Story County | Relatively Low | 68.8 | $36 million | Drought | 20 | 66 |
| 10 | Wapello County | Relatively Low | 65.3 | $24 million | Drought | 18 | 28 |
| 11 | Clinton County | Relatively Low | 64.8 | $25 million | Strong wind | 20 | 52 |
| 12 | Dubuque County | Relatively Low | 63.6 | $42 million | Hail | 19 | 34 |
| 13 | Lee County | Relatively Low | 62.9 | $23 million | Hail | 20 | 38 |
| 14 | Marshall County | Relatively Low | 62.5 | $23 million | Drought | 18 | 39 |
| 15 | Crawford County | Relatively Low | 60.8 | $24 million | Drought | 21 | 45 |
| 16 | Dallas County | Relatively Low | 60.6 | $40 million | Drought | 18 | 60 |
| 17 | Cass County | Relatively Low | 60.1 | $17 million | Drought | 17 | 43 |
| 18 | Webster County | Relatively Low | 60.0 | $25 million | Drought | 18 | 63 |
| 19 | Hardin County | Relatively Low | 58.4 | $20 million | Hail | 16 | 47 |
| 20 | Muscatine County | Relatively Low | 57.8 | $20 million | Hail | 19 | 37 |
| 21 | Carroll County | Relatively Low | 57.6 | $23 million | Hail | 14 | 37 |
| 22 | Des Moines County | Relatively Low | 55.8 | $19 million | Hail | 25 | 24 |
| 23 | Sioux County | Relatively Low | 52.4 | $30 million | Hail | 13 | 49 |
| 24 | Fayette County | Relatively Low | 50.9 | $15 million | Drought | 20 | 32 |
| 25 | Davis County | Relatively Low | 50.3 | $11 million | Drought | 15 | 22 |
| 26 | Delaware County | Relatively Low | 49.7 | $17 million | Hail | 16 | 45 |
| 27 | Adair County | Relatively Low | 49.5 | $14 million | Drought | 15 | 34 |
| 28 | Union County | Relatively Low | 49.5 | $13 million | Drought | 19 | 41 |
| 29 | Plymouth County | Relatively Low | 49.2 | $18 million | Hail | 14 | 51 |
| 30 | Floyd County | Relatively Low | 47.7 | $15 million | Drought | 18 | 27 |
| 31 | Tama County | Relatively Low | 45.3 | $13 million | Drought | 19 | 47 |
| 32 | Calhoun County | Relatively Low | 44.6 | $13 million | Drought | 16 | 41 |
| 33 | Washington County | Relatively Low | 44.2 | $14 million | Strong wind | 13 | 25 |
| 34 | Jasper County | Relatively Low | 43.7 | $16 million | Drought | 17 | 47 |
| 35 | Hamilton County | Relatively Low | 42.9 | $16 million | Drought | 19 | 56 |
| 36 | Emmet County | Very Low | 42.7 | $14 million | Drought | 17 | 22 |
| 37 | Clayton County | Very Low | 42.2 | $15 million | Landslide | 25 | 15 |
| 38 | Wright County | Very Low | 41.5 | $13 million | Drought | 22 | 40 |
| 39 | Appanoose County | Very Low | 41.2 | $10 million | Drought | 14 | 25 |
| 40 | Page County | Very Low | 40.2 | $12 million | Heat wave | 14 | 38 |
| 41 | Buena Vista County | Very Low | 39.3 | $12 million | Hail | 20 | 29 |
| 42 | Audubon County | Very Low | 38.6 | $11 million | Drought | 20 | 16 |
| 43 | Taylor County | Very Low | 38.5 | $9.9 million | Drought | 12 | 40 |
| 44 | Allamakee County | Very Low | 38.2 | $10 million | Landslide | 20 | 12 |
| 45 | Mitchell County | Very Low | 37.7 | $14 million | Strong wind | 18 | 20 |
| 46 | Clay County | Very Low | 36.4 | $17 million | Hail | 19 | 38 |
| 47 | Dickinson County | Very Low | 36.3 | $14 million | Winter weather | 16 | 28 |
| 48 | Winneshiek County | Very Low | 36.2 | $15 million | Hail | 19 | 24 |
| 49 | Warren County | Very Low | 36.1 | $19 million | Drought | 16 | 50 |
| 50 | Jackson County | Very Low | 36.1 | $14 million | Landslide | 19 | 27 |
| 51 | Madison County | Very Low | 35.5 | $10 million | Drought | 18 | 37 |
| 52 | Marion County | Very Low | 34.4 | $14 million | Drought | 17 | 47 |
| 53 | Cherokee County | Very Low | 34.1 | $11 million | Hail | 21 | 30 |
| 54 | Montgomery County | Very Low | 33.7 | $11 million | Drought | 18 | 31 |
| 55 | Van Buren County | Very Low | 33.6 | $8.4 million | Drought | 14 | 28 |
| 56 | Pocahontas County | Very Low | 33.0 | $11 million | Drought | 20 | 49 |
| 57 | Jones County | Very Low | 32.7 | $16 million | Drought | 20 | 46 |
| 58 | Kossuth County | Very Low | 32.3 | $16 million | Drought | 18 | 42 |
| 59 | Greene County | Very Low | 31.8 | $12 million | Drought | 17 | 35 |
| 60 | Chickasaw County | Very Low | 31.7 | $11 million | Drought | 17 | 30 |
| 61 | Poweshiek County | Very Low | 31.3 | $12 million | Drought | 13 | 33 |
| 62 | Harrison County | Very Low | 31.3 | $9.8 million | Drought | 22 | 32 |
| 63 | Henry County | Very Low | 30.9 | $9.7 million | Heat wave | 14 | 20 |
| 64 | Winnebago County | Very Low | 30.7 | $9.6 million | Drought | 14 | 24 |
| 65 | Mahaska County | Very Low | 29.7 | $11 million | Drought | 18 | 27 |
| 66 | Lucas County | Very Low | 29.7 | $7.9 million | Drought | 13 | 12 |
| 67 | Benton County | Very Low | 28.8 | $16 million | Drought | 16 | 48 |
| 68 | Hancock County | Very Low | 28.8 | $11 million | Drought | 13 | 29 |
| 69 | Boone County | Very Low | 28.4 | $17 million | Drought | 15 | 58 |
| 70 | Iowa County | Very Low | 28.2 | $11 million | Strong wind | 21 | 35 |
| 71 | Sac County | Very Low | 27.3 | $15 million | Drought | 17 | 28 |
| 72 | Butler County | Very Low | 27.1 | $15 million | Drought | 23 | 30 |
| 73 | Jefferson County | Very Low | 27.1 | $7.5 million | Drought | 10 | 13 |
| 74 | Guthrie County | Very Low | 26.5 | $14 million | Drought | 15 | 33 |
| 75 | Monona County | Very Low | 25.1 | $8.7 million | Drought | 18 | 28 |
| 76 | Bremer County | Very Low | 24.6 | $15 million | Drought | 15 | 29 |
| 77 | Humboldt County | Very Low | 24.1 | $9.7 million | Drought | 20 | 27 |
| 78 | Buchanan County | Very Low | 24.0 | $13 million | Drought | 23 | 49 |
| 79 | Decatur County | Very Low | 23.6 | $7.8 million | Drought | 12 | 17 |
| 80 | Shelby County | Very Low | 22.8 | $13 million | Drought | 18 | 31 |
| 81 | Wayne County | Very Low | 22.0 | $5.9 million | Drought | 13 | 31 |
| 82 | Franklin County | Very Low | 21.9 | $11 million | Drought | 20 | 29 |
| 83 | Keokuk County | Very Low | 21.9 | $8.9 million | Drought | 17 | 32 |
| 84 | Cedar County | Very Low | 21.5 | $12 million | Drought | 16 | 44 |
| 85 | Adams County | Very Low | 20.4 | $8.0 million | Drought | 15 | 28 |
| 86 | Lyon County | Very Low | 19.2 | $11 million | Hail | 14 | 43 |
| 87 | Mills County | Very Low | 18.5 | $11 million | Landslide | 18 | 21 |
| 88 | Clarke County | Very Low | 18.4 | $9.9 million | Drought | 14 | 19 |
| 89 | Ida County | Very Low | 18.4 | $7.3 million | Hail | 18 | 16 |
| 90 | Louisa County | Very Low | 17.5 | $8.4 million | Drought | 18 | 17 |
| 91 | O'Brien County | Very Low | 16.4 | $11 million | Hail | 13 | 36 |
| 92 | Howard County | Very Low | 15.6 | $9.2 million | Drought | 21 | 37 |
| 93 | Palo Alto County | Very Low | 15.5 | $9.7 million | Drought | 21 | 23 |
| 94 | Fremont County | Very Low | 15.0 | $6.7 million | Drought | 17 | 36 |
| 95 | Osceola County | Very Low | 14.9 | $5.5 million | Hail | 13 | 30 |
| 96 | Ringgold County | Very Low | 14.2 | $8.1 million | Drought | 18 | 27 |
| 97 | Grundy County | Very Low | 13.1 | $9.5 million | Drought | 13 | 40 |
| 98 | Monroe County | Very Low | 10.3 | $7.0 million | Drought | 14 | 14 |
| 99 | Worth County | Very Low | 9.9 | $7.0 million | Drought | 14 | 23 |
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 Iowa
Other states and territories
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming American Samoa Guam Northern Mariana Islands U.S. Virgin Islands
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 Iowa
Which county in Iowa has the highest natural disaster risk?
Of Iowa's 99 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Polk County (score 92.0 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $1.8 billion a year.
Which Iowa counties are most at risk from tornadoes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index tornado risk score: Johnson County, Polk County, Woodbury County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
Which Iowa counties are most at risk from hurricanes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index hurricane risk score: Polk County, Washington County, Carroll County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Iowa had?
OpenFEMA lists 76 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Iowa since 1953 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4942-IA, Severe Storms and Flooding, declared 1 September 2026.