Maine Natural Disaster Risk by County
Of Maine's 16 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is York County (score 81.5 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $416 million a year.
OpenFEMA lists 68 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Maine since 1954 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4785-ME, Severe Winter Storm, declared 24 May 2024.
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Most exposed counties, hazard by hazard
Top 10 by FEMA hazard risk scoreHurricane 16 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | York County | Relatively Moderate | $13 million |
| 2 | Cumberland County | Relatively Moderate | $16 million |
| 3 | Hancock County | Relatively Moderate | $5.9 million |
| 4 | Kennebec County | Relatively Moderate | $5.8 million |
| 5 | Penobscot County | Relatively Moderate | $5.0 million |
| 6 | Androscoggin County | Relatively Moderate | $4.8 million |
| 7 | Oxford County | Relatively Moderate | $3.8 million |
| 8 | Somerset County | Relatively Moderate | $4.2 million |
| 9 | Washington County | Relatively Moderate | $3.0 million |
| 10 | Lincoln County | Relatively Moderate | $3.2 million |
Tornado 16 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | York County | Relatively Low | $1.4 million |
| 2 | Penobscot County | Relatively Low | $626,608 |
| 3 | Kennebec County | Very Low | $420,727 |
| 4 | Cumberland County | Very Low | $702,959 |
| 5 | Androscoggin County | Very Low | $249,196 |
| 6 | Oxford County | Very Low | $154,220 |
| 7 | Somerset County | Very Low | $163,252 |
| 8 | Hancock County | Very Low | $169,445 |
| 9 | Aroostook County | Very Low | $124,663 |
| 10 | Waldo County | Very Low | $159,505 |
Inland flooding 16 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penobscot County | Relatively Moderate | $24 million |
| 2 | York County | Relatively Moderate | $26 million |
| 3 | Kennebec County | Relatively Moderate | $22 million |
| 4 | Aroostook County | Relatively Moderate | $14 million |
| 5 | Oxford County | Relatively Moderate | $13 million |
| 6 | Cumberland County | Relatively Low | $27 million |
| 7 | Somerset County | Relatively Low | $9.4 million |
| 8 | Androscoggin County | Relatively Low | $10 million |
| 9 | Franklin County | Relatively Low | $7.0 million |
| 10 | Hancock County | Relatively Low | $6.2 million |
Coastal flooding 10 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | York County | Relatively High | $5.3 million |
| 2 | Cumberland County | Relatively Moderate | $3.7 million |
| 3 | Hancock County | Relatively Moderate | $2.0 million |
| 4 | Sagadahoc County | Relatively Moderate | $1.9 million |
| 5 | Washington County | Relatively Moderate | $1.1 million |
| 6 | Lincoln County | Relatively Moderate | $1.1 million |
| 7 | Knox County | Relatively Moderate | $1.3 million |
| 8 | Waldo County | Relatively Low | $434,860 |
| 9 | Kennebec County | Relatively Low | $318,519 |
| 10 | Penobscot County | Very Low | $22,404 |
Wildfire 16 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | York County | Very Low | $83,818 |
| 2 | Cumberland County | Very Low | $45,429 |
| 3 | Kennebec County | Very Low | $19,494 |
| 4 | Penobscot County | Very Low | $14,352 |
| 5 | Oxford County | Very Low | $10,786 |
| 6 | Aroostook County | Very Low | $9,336 |
| 7 | Androscoggin County | Very Low | $11,505 |
| 8 | Somerset County | Very Low | $8,672 |
| 9 | Washington County | Very Low | $6,138 |
| 10 | Lincoln County | Very Low | $7,112 |
Earthquake 16 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | York County | Relatively Low | $3.1 million |
| 2 | Cumberland County | Relatively Low | $3.4 million |
| 3 | Penobscot County | Relatively Low | $1.6 million |
| 4 | Aroostook County | Relatively Low | $1.1 million |
| 5 | Kennebec County | Relatively Low | $1.3 million |
| 6 | Androscoggin County | Relatively Low | $1.3 million |
| 7 | Oxford County | Relatively Low | $407,175 |
| 8 | Somerset County | Very Low | $430,640 |
| 9 | Hancock County | Very Low | $321,049 |
| 10 | Sagadahoc County | Very Low | $293,478 |
Every Maine county, highest overall risk first
16| # | County | Overall risk | Score | Loss a year | Top hazard | Declarations | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | York County | Relatively Moderate | 81.5 | $56 million | Ice storm | 40 | 12 |
| 2 | Aroostook County | Relatively Low | 80.4 | $35 million | Winter weather | 22 | 30 |
| 3 | Penobscot County | Relatively Low | 78.0 | $41 million | Winter weather | 20 | 13 |
| 4 | Cumberland County | Relatively Low | 77.0 | $69 million | Winter weather | 37 | 13 |
| 5 | Kennebec County | Relatively Low | 75.2 | $37 million | Winter weather | 23 | 11 |
| 6 | Somerset County | Relatively Low | 67.9 | $26 million | Winter weather | 27 | 13 |
| 7 | Oxford County | Relatively Low | 65.9 | $22 million | Winter weather | 35 | 17 |
| 8 | Androscoggin County | Relatively Low | 59.1 | $23 million | Winter weather | 29 | 4 |
| 9 | Hancock County | Relatively Low | 55.0 | $20 million | Winter weather | 22 | 1 |
| 10 | Piscataquis County | Relatively Low | 52.4 | $16 million | Cold wave | 23 | 6 |
| 11 | Washington County | Relatively Low | 47.6 | $11 million | Winter weather | 24 | 6 |
| 12 | Franklin County | Relatively Low | 43.6 | $14 million | Ice storm | 31 | 4 |
| 13 | Waldo County | Very Low | 40.6 | $13 million | Winter weather | 26 | 3 |
| 14 | Lincoln County | Very Low | 31.8 | $11 million | Winter weather | 28 | 2 |
| 15 | Knox County | Very Low | 28.6 | $12 million | Winter weather | 29 | 1 |
| 16 | Sagadahoc County | Very Low | 23.3 | $9.6 million | Ice storm | 23 | 2 |
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 Maine
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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 Maine
Which county in Maine has the highest natural disaster risk?
Of Maine's 16 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is York County (score 81.5 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $416 million a year.
Which Maine counties are most at risk from tornadoes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index tornado risk score: York County, Penobscot County, Kennebec County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
Which Maine counties are most at risk from hurricanes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index hurricane risk score: York County, Cumberland County, Hancock County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Maine had?
OpenFEMA lists 68 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Maine since 1954 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4785-ME, Severe Winter Storm, declared 24 May 2024.