Minnesota Natural Disaster Risk by County
Of Minnesota's 87 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Hennepin County (score 98.3 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $2.6 billion a year.
OpenFEMA lists 77 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Minnesota since 1957 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4894-MN, Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds, declared 22 October 2025.
Live weather alerts for Minnesota Latest FEMA declarations All official warnings
Most exposed counties, hazard by hazard
Top 10 by FEMA hazard risk scoreHurricane 1 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston County | Very Low | $1,119 |
Tornado 87 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hennepin County | Very High | $83 million |
| 2 | Ramsey County | Relatively High | $36 million |
| 3 | Dakota County | Relatively High | $32 million |
| 4 | Washington County | Relatively High | $20 million |
| 5 | Stearns County | Relatively High | $11 million |
| 6 | Rice County | Relatively Moderate | $7.2 million |
| 7 | Olmsted County | Relatively Moderate | $13 million |
| 8 | Scott County | Relatively Moderate | $12 million |
| 9 | Anoka County | Relatively Moderate | $11 million |
| 10 | Otter Tail County | Relatively Moderate | $4.6 million |
Inland flooding 87 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hennepin County | Relatively High | $188 million |
| 2 | Ramsey County | Relatively High | $69 million |
| 3 | Anoka County | Relatively Moderate | $85 million |
| 4 | St. Louis County | Relatively Moderate | $50 million |
| 5 | Stearns County | Relatively Moderate | $48 million |
| 6 | Dakota County | Relatively Moderate | $57 million |
| 7 | Olmsted County | Relatively Moderate | $56 million |
| 8 | Crow Wing County | Relatively Moderate | $26 million |
| 9 | Washington County | Relatively Moderate | $41 million |
| 10 | Otter Tail County | Relatively Moderate | $21 million |
Coastal flooding 3 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis County | Very Low | $8,678 |
| 2 | Cook County | Very Low | — |
| 3 | Lake County | Very Low | — |
Wildfire 87 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roseau County | Relatively Moderate | $1.8 million |
| 2 | Marshall County | Relatively Low | $795,399 |
| 3 | Polk County | Relatively Low | $607,643 |
| 4 | Beltrami County | Relatively Low | $496,772 |
| 5 | Pennington County | Relatively Low | $617,678 |
| 6 | St. Louis County | Relatively Low | $511,971 |
| 7 | Anoka County | Relatively Low | $850,599 |
| 8 | Cook County | Relatively Low | $342,863 |
| 9 | Otter Tail County | Relatively Low | $348,864 |
| 10 | Morrison County | Relatively Low | $382,545 |
Earthquake 85 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hennepin County | Very Low | $325,256 |
| 2 | Ramsey County | Very Low | $73,002 |
| 3 | Stearns County | Very Low | $51,020 |
| 4 | Anoka County | Very Low | $66,385 |
| 5 | Dakota County | Very Low | $52,697 |
| 6 | Nobles County | Very Low | $24,236 |
| 7 | Otter Tail County | Very Low | $23,521 |
| 8 | Mower County | Very Low | $23,527 |
| 9 | Olmsted County | Very Low | $37,246 |
| 10 | Kandiyohi County | Very Low | $19,646 |
Every Minnesota county, highest overall risk first
87| # | County | Overall risk | Score | Loss a year | Top hazard | Declarations | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hennepin County | Relatively High | 98.3 | $456 million | Cold wave | 16 | 33 |
| 2 | Ramsey County | Relatively High | 94.6 | $181 million | Cold wave | 17 | 10 |
| 3 | St. Louis County | Relatively Moderate | 91.6 | $112 million | Cold wave | 15 | 40 |
| 4 | Dakota County | Relatively Moderate | 89.5 | $134 million | Strong wind | 14 | 40 |
| 5 | Anoka County | Relatively Moderate | 88.0 | $127 million | Strong wind | 11 | 28 |
| 6 | Stearns County | Relatively Moderate | 87.6 | $79 million | Strong wind | 11 | 57 |
| 7 | Washington County | Relatively Moderate | 83.9 | $93 million | Strong wind | 15 | 23 |
| 8 | Olmsted County | Relatively Moderate | 82.3 | $94 million | Cold wave | 13 | 37 |
| 9 | Otter Tail County | Relatively Low | 79.4 | $38 million | Winter weather | 15 | 89 |
| 10 | Crow Wing County | Relatively Low | 77.5 | $39 million | Cold wave | 11 | 27 |
| 11 | Itasca County | Relatively Low | 76.7 | $31 million | Cold wave | 13 | 13 |
| 12 | Scott County | Relatively Low | 76.6 | $66 million | Strong wind | 14 | 21 |
| 13 | Rice County | Relatively Low | 75.4 | $37 million | Strong wind | 12 | 43 |
| 14 | Clay County | Relatively Low | 73.7 | $42 million | Winter weather | 27 | 41 |
| 15 | Blue Earth County | Relatively Low | 72.2 | $33 million | Strong wind | 22 | 42 |
| 16 | Carlton County | Relatively Low | 70.1 | $32 million | Cold wave | 8 | 9 |
| 17 | Winona County | Relatively Low | 69.5 | $31 million | Landslide | 15 | 19 |
| 18 | Wright County | Relatively Low | 68.4 | $51 million | Strong wind | 15 | 28 |
| 19 | Mower County | Relatively Low | 67.3 | $27 million | Drought | 14 | 34 |
| 20 | Polk County | Relatively Low | 67.0 | $27 million | Winter weather | 29 | 81 |
| 21 | Morrison County | Relatively Low | 66.9 | $30 million | Lightning | 12 | 29 |
| 22 | Pine County | Relatively Low | 62.2 | $22 million | Cold wave | 13 | 13 |
| 23 | Beltrami County | Relatively Low | 60.6 | $20 million | Winter weather | 19 | 45 |
| 24 | Carver County | Relatively Low | 59.7 | $41 million | Strong wind | 15 | 27 |
| 25 | Aitkin County | Relatively Low | 56.6 | $15 million | Cold wave | 19 | 22 |
| 26 | Sherburne County | Relatively Low | 53.6 | $31 million | Strong wind | 8 | 13 |
| 27 | Cass County | Relatively Low | 53.5 | $14 million | Cold wave | 12 | 31 |
| 28 | Kandiyohi County | Relatively Low | 51.4 | $18 million | Strong wind | 14 | 56 |
| 29 | Benton County | Relatively Low | 51.3 | $18 million | Hail | 11 | 7 |
| 30 | Freeborn County | Relatively Low | 51.0 | $17 million | Drought | 19 | 67 |
| 31 | Brown County | Relatively Low | 50.4 | $24 million | Cold wave | 18 | 33 |
| 32 | Nobles County | Relatively Low | 50.2 | $13 million | Hail | 19 | 43 |
| 33 | Fillmore County | Relatively Low | 49.8 | $17 million | Landslide | 16 | 24 |
| 34 | Pennington County | Relatively Low | 47.0 | $18 million | Wildfire | 18 | 11 |
| 35 | McLeod County | Relatively Low | 46.6 | $17 million | Strong wind | 16 | 26 |
| 36 | Wabasha County | Relatively Low | 45.5 | $18 million | Landslide | 15 | 14 |
| 37 | Martin County | Relatively Low | 45.5 | $13 million | Winter weather | 13 | 22 |
| 38 | Faribault County | Relatively Low | 45.5 | $13 million | Drought | 20 | 39 |
| 39 | Nicollet County | Relatively Low | 45.4 | $18 million | Strong wind | 20 | 29 |
| 40 | Chisago County | Relatively Low | 44.5 | $23 million | Strong wind | 10 | 19 |
| 41 | Douglas County | Relatively Low | 44.3 | $16 million | Winter weather | 12 | 26 |
| 42 | Roseau County | Relatively Low | 43.9 | $16 million | Wildfire | 24 | 42 |
| 43 | Lyon County | Relatively Low | 43.5 | $21 million | Winter weather | 16 | 29 |
| 44 | Goodhue County | Relatively Low | 43.3 | $26 million | Strong wind | 16 | 33 |
| 45 | Renville County | Very Low | 38.5 | $12 million | Drought | 20 | 30 |
| 46 | Todd County | Very Low | 37.7 | $11 million | Wildfire | 11 | 27 |
| 47 | Becker County | Very Low | 37.4 | $12 million | Winter weather | 17 | 35 |
| 48 | Steele County | Very Low | 37.2 | $22 million | Strong wind | 15 | 28 |
| 49 | Chippewa County | Very Low | 37.0 | $10 million | Winter weather | 19 | 25 |
| 50 | Hubbard County | Very Low | 35.2 | $11 million | Landslide | 8 | 23 |
| 51 | Redwood County | Very Low | 35.1 | $12 million | Winter weather | 19 | 28 |
| 52 | Lake County | Very Low | 33.9 | $11 million | Strong wind | 10 | 8 |
| 53 | Koochiching County | Very Low | 31.5 | $8.8 million | Cold wave | 10 | 8 |
| 54 | Yellow Medicine County | Very Low | 30.0 | $10 million | Heat wave | 22 | 25 |
| 55 | Houston County | Very Low | 29.5 | $14 million | Landslide | 19 | 11 |
| 56 | Mille Lacs County | Very Low | 28.5 | $11 million | Wildfire | 8 | 16 |
| 57 | Cottonwood County | Very Low | 27.7 | $8.7 million | Winter weather | 15 | 26 |
| 58 | Meeker County | Very Low | 27.0 | $12 million | Hail | 9 | 26 |
| 59 | Isanti County | Very Low | 26.9 | $15 million | Wildfire | 8 | 14 |
| 60 | Swift County | Very Low | 25.1 | $8.0 million | Winter weather | 17 | 51 |
| 61 | Waseca County | Very Low | 24.7 | $9.0 million | Drought | 12 | 28 |
| 62 | Watonwan County | Very Low | 23.9 | $8.0 million | Winter weather | 11 | 23 |
| 63 | Marshall County | Very Low | 23.6 | $9.2 million | Drought | 28 | 36 |
| 64 | Sibley County | Very Low | 23.0 | $13 million | Strong wind | 19 | 37 |
| 65 | Le Sueur County | Very Low | 22.8 | $14 million | Strong wind | 17 | 26 |
| 66 | Jackson County | Very Low | 22.4 | $9.8 million | Winter weather | 16 | 21 |
| 67 | Kanabec County | Very Low | 21.3 | $8.5 million | Cold wave | 9 | 10 |
| 68 | Pope County | Very Low | 20.5 | $8.3 million | Winter weather | 14 | 31 |
| 69 | Murray County | Very Low | 19.8 | $7.3 million | Drought | 15 | 34 |
| 70 | Lac qui Parle County | Very Low | 18.8 | $7.0 million | Cold wave | 19 | 16 |
| 71 | Lincoln County | Very Low | 18.2 | $7.1 million | Hail | 12 | 18 |
| 72 | Pipestone County | Very Low | 14.7 | $7.8 million | Winter weather | 12 | 15 |
| 73 | Norman County | Very Low | 14.4 | $5.5 million | Drought | 30 | 30 |
| 74 | Dodge County | Very Low | 14.2 | $9.8 million | Drought | 14 | 20 |
| 75 | Wadena County | Very Low | 12.9 | $5.1 million | Wildfire | 13 | 23 |
| 76 | Cook County | Very Low | 11.2 | $4.5 million | Wildfire | 8 | 4 |
| 77 | Rock County | Very Low | 9.4 | $6.6 million | Hail | 14 | 15 |
| 78 | Big Stone County | Very Low | 8.5 | $4.4 million | Cold wave | 18 | 13 |
| 79 | Mahnomen County | Very Low | 7.1 | $2.3 million | Drought | 18 | 26 |
| 80 | Stevens County | Very Low | 7.0 | $6.4 million | Winter weather | 17 | 18 |
| 81 | Traverse County | Very Low | 6.2 | $3.5 million | Hail | 23 | 18 |
| 82 | Wilkin County | Very Low | 5.3 | $4.7 million | Winter weather | 23 | 33 |
| 83 | Kittson County | Very Low | 4.8 | $5.5 million | Wildfire | 28 | 32 |
| 84 | Clearwater County | Very Low | 4.2 | $3.1 million | Wildfire | 14 | 23 |
| 85 | Lake of the Woods County | Very Low | 3.5 | $4.9 million | Wildfire | 16 | 18 |
| 86 | Grant County | Very Low | 3.0 | $4.2 million | Winter weather | 17 | 33 |
| 87 | Red Lake County | Very Low | 2.2 | $3.3 million | Drought | 21 | 20 |
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 Minnesota
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 Minnesota
Which county in Minnesota has the highest natural disaster risk?
Of Minnesota's 87 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Hennepin County (score 98.3 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $2.6 billion a year.
Which Minnesota counties are most at risk from tornadoes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index tornado risk score: Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
Which Minnesota counties are most at risk from hurricanes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index hurricane risk score: Houston County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Minnesota had?
OpenFEMA lists 77 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Minnesota since 1957 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4894-MN, Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds, declared 22 October 2025.