Massachusetts Natural Disaster Risk by County
Of Massachusetts's 14 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Middlesex County (score 96.9 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $1.5 billion a year.
OpenFEMA lists 55 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Massachusetts since 1953 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4919-MA, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, declared 30 June 2026.
Live weather alerts for Massachusetts Latest FEMA declarations All official warnings
Most exposed counties, hazard by hazard
Top 10 by FEMA hazard risk scoreHurricane 14 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Worcester County | Relatively High | $37 million |
| 2 | Middlesex County | Relatively High | $30 million |
| 3 | Barnstable County | Relatively High | $20 million |
| 4 | Suffolk County | Relatively High | $13 million |
| 5 | Essex County | Relatively High | $15 million |
| 6 | Hampden County | Relatively High | $12 million |
| 7 | Norfolk County | Relatively Moderate | $16 million |
| 8 | Bristol County | Relatively Moderate | $10 million |
| 9 | Nantucket County | Relatively Moderate | $17 million |
| 10 | Plymouth County | Relatively Moderate | $11 million |
Tornado 14 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essex County | Relatively High | $9.3 million |
| 2 | Middlesex County | Relatively Moderate | $9.0 million |
| 3 | Hampden County | Relatively Moderate | $3.8 million |
| 4 | Worcester County | Relatively Moderate | $5.1 million |
| 5 | Suffolk County | Relatively Moderate | $2.6 million |
| 6 | Norfolk County | Relatively Moderate | $3.2 million |
| 7 | Bristol County | Relatively Low | $1.4 million |
| 8 | Berkshire County | Relatively Low | $1.2 million |
| 9 | Plymouth County | Relatively Low | $1.5 million |
| 10 | Hampshire County | Relatively Low | $1.5 million |
Inland flooding 14 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlesex County | Relatively High | $224 million |
| 2 | Essex County | Relatively High | $125 million |
| 3 | Hampden County | Relatively High | $75 million |
| 4 | Norfolk County | Relatively High | $103 million |
| 5 | Worcester County | Relatively High | $90 million |
| 6 | Suffolk County | Relatively High | $60 million |
| 7 | Bristol County | Relatively High | $62 million |
| 8 | Plymouth County | Relatively Moderate | $71 million |
| 9 | Barnstable County | Relatively Moderate | $44 million |
| 10 | Berkshire County | Relatively Moderate | $41 million |
Coastal flooding 9 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essex County | Very High | $19 million |
| 2 | Barnstable County | Very High | $12 million |
| 3 | Plymouth County | Very High | $14 million |
| 4 | Suffolk County | Relatively High | $6.3 million |
| 5 | Norfolk County | Relatively High | $5.1 million |
| 6 | Nantucket County | Relatively Moderate | $2.1 million |
| 7 | Bristol County | Relatively Moderate | $921,862 |
| 8 | Middlesex County | Relatively Low | $417,996 |
| 9 | Dukes County | Relatively Low | $348,024 |
Wildfire 14 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlesex County | Relatively Low | $268,163 |
| 2 | Worcester County | Very Low | $116,469 |
| 3 | Essex County | Very Low | $83,117 |
| 4 | Plymouth County | Very Low | $77,516 |
| 5 | Barnstable County | Very Low | $59,280 |
| 6 | Norfolk County | Very Low | $60,867 |
| 7 | Hampden County | Very Low | $20,795 |
| 8 | Bristol County | Very Low | $24,091 |
| 9 | Franklin County | Very Low | $22,654 |
| 10 | Hampshire County | Very Low | $26,204 |
Earthquake 14 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlesex County | Relatively Moderate | $24 million |
| 2 | Suffolk County | Relatively Moderate | $12 million |
| 3 | Essex County | Relatively Moderate | $15 million |
| 4 | Norfolk County | Relatively Moderate | $8.9 million |
| 5 | Hampden County | Relatively Moderate | $4.8 million |
| 6 | Worcester County | Relatively Low | $5.6 million |
| 7 | Bristol County | Relatively Low | $4.5 million |
| 8 | Plymouth County | Relatively Low | $4.9 million |
| 9 | Barnstable County | Relatively Low | $1.5 million |
| 10 | Berkshire County | Relatively Low | $920,874 |
Every Massachusetts county, highest overall risk first
14| # | County | Overall risk | Score | Loss a year | Top hazard | Declarations | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlesex County | Relatively High | 96.9 | $322 million | Ice storm | 33 | 21 |
| 2 | Essex County | Relatively High | 95.6 | $199 million | Coastal flooding | 38 | 14 |
| 3 | Worcester County | Relatively Moderate | 93.5 | $163 million | Ice storm | 30 | 52 |
| 4 | Suffolk County | Relatively Moderate | 93.5 | $115 million | Lightning | 36 | 1 |
| 5 | Hampden County | Relatively Moderate | 92.8 | $107 million | Inland flooding | 22 | 18 |
| 6 | Norfolk County | Relatively Moderate | 92.0 | $147 million | Inland flooding | 36 | 15 |
| 7 | Plymouth County | Relatively Moderate | 90.4 | $114 million | Coastal flooding | 30 | 11 |
| 8 | Bristol County | Relatively Moderate | 89.9 | $87 million | Inland flooding | 28 | 12 |
| 9 | Barnstable County | Relatively Moderate | 89.1 | $82 million | Coastal flooding | 22 | 8 |
| 10 | Berkshire County | Relatively Moderate | 84.0 | $52 million | Inland flooding | 21 | 16 |
| 11 | Hampshire County | Relatively Low | 69.9 | $37 million | Hurricane | 21 | 10 |
| 12 | Franklin County | Relatively Low | 60.7 | $23 million | Landslide | 20 | 26 |
| 13 | Nantucket County | Very Low | 38.7 | $23 million | Hurricane | 18 | 0 |
| 14 | Dukes County | Very Low | 16.8 | $7.3 million | Hurricane | 20 | 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 Massachusetts
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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 Massachusetts
Which county in Massachusetts has the highest natural disaster risk?
Of Massachusetts's 14 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Middlesex County (score 96.9 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $1.5 billion a year.
Which Massachusetts counties are most at risk from tornadoes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index tornado risk score: Essex County, Middlesex County, Hampden County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
Which Massachusetts counties are most at risk from hurricanes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index hurricane risk score: Worcester County, Middlesex County, Barnstable County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Massachusetts had?
OpenFEMA lists 55 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Massachusetts since 1953 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4919-MA, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, declared 30 June 2026.