Vermont Natural Disaster Risk by County
Of Vermont'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 Chittenden County (score 63.9 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $221 million a year.
OpenFEMA lists 60 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Vermont since 1963 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4826-VT, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared 26 September 2024.
Live weather alerts for Vermont 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 | Windham County | Relatively Low | $986,765 |
| 2 | Windsor County | Relatively Low | $880,469 |
| 3 | Bennington County | Relatively Low | $780,683 |
| 4 | Caledonia County | Relatively Low | $739,854 |
| 5 | Rutland County | Relatively Low | $679,026 |
| 6 | Addison County | Relatively Low | $595,242 |
| 7 | Washington County | Relatively Low | $601,321 |
| 8 | Orleans County | Relatively Low | $466,998 |
| 9 | Chittenden County | Relatively Low | $661,061 |
| 10 | Orange County | Relatively Low | $471,673 |
Tornado 14 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Windham County | Relatively Low | $914,372 |
| 2 | Windsor County | Relatively Low | $584,563 |
| 3 | Chittenden County | Relatively Low | $846,921 |
| 4 | Rutland County | Very Low | $436,832 |
| 5 | Bennington County | Very Low | $282,062 |
| 6 | Addison County | Very Low | $304,102 |
| 7 | Franklin County | Very Low | $192,963 |
| 8 | Washington County | Very Low | $158,150 |
| 9 | Orange County | Very Low | $143,227 |
| 10 | Orleans County | Very Low | $80,511 |
Inland flooding 14 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Windsor County | Relatively Moderate | $19 million |
| 2 | Chittenden County | Relatively Moderate | $29 million |
| 3 | Windham County | Relatively Low | $15 million |
| 4 | Washington County | Relatively Low | $18 million |
| 5 | Rutland County | Relatively Low | $13 million |
| 6 | Bennington County | Relatively Low | $12 million |
| 7 | Orleans County | Relatively Low | $9.4 million |
| 8 | Caledonia County | Relatively Low | $7.8 million |
| 9 | Franklin County | Relatively Low | $9.7 million |
| 10 | Orange County | Relatively Low | $8.6 million |
Wildfire 14 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Windsor County | Very Low | $13,490 |
| 2 | Chittenden County | Very Low | $18,585 |
| 3 | Rutland County | Very Low | $10,694 |
| 4 | Addison County | Very Low | $10,741 |
| 5 | Windham County | Very Low | $8,499 |
| 6 | Bennington County | Very Low | $8,345 |
| 7 | Washington County | Very Low | $9,205 |
| 8 | Orleans County | Very Low | $7,113 |
| 9 | Caledonia County | Very Low | $6,912 |
| 10 | Orange County | Very Low | $7,743 |
Earthquake 14 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chittenden County | Relatively Low | $2.1 million |
| 2 | Franklin County | Relatively Low | $631,041 |
| 3 | Rutland County | Very Low | $472,201 |
| 4 | Addison County | Very Low | $474,027 |
| 5 | Windsor County | Very Low | $380,046 |
| 6 | Washington County | Very Low | $403,906 |
| 7 | Windham County | Very Low | $287,583 |
| 8 | Orleans County | Very Low | $235,957 |
| 9 | Bennington County | Very Low | $232,584 |
| 10 | Caledonia County | Very Low | $223,857 |
Every Vermont county, highest overall risk first
14| # | County | Overall risk | Score | Loss a year | Top hazard | Declarations | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chittenden County | Relatively Low | 63.9 | $40 million | Winter weather | 30 | 6 |
| 2 | Windsor County | Relatively Low | 61.6 | $25 million | Landslide | 25 | 3 |
| 3 | Windham County | Relatively Low | 56.9 | $20 million | Landslide | 22 | 5 |
| 4 | Bennington County | Relatively Low | 52.3 | $19 million | Cold wave | 19 | 5 |
| 5 | Washington County | Relatively Low | 52.2 | $22 million | Landslide | 31 | 0 |
| 6 | Rutland County | Relatively Low | 50.5 | $19 million | Landslide | 20 | 2 |
| 7 | Orleans County | Very Low | 36.8 | $12 million | Landslide | 31 | 6 |
| 8 | Caledonia County | Very Low | 30.2 | $11 million | Landslide | 29 | 1 |
| 9 | Franklin County | Very Low | 29.2 | $13 million | Landslide | 28 | 8 |
| 10 | Addison County | Very Low | 26.8 | $11 million | Landslide | 28 | 4 |
| 11 | Orange County | Very Low | 26.4 | $11 million | Landslide | 32 | 3 |
| 12 | Lamoille County | Very Low | 18.3 | $11 million | Winter weather | 36 | 3 |
| 13 | Essex County | Very Low | 3.2 | $3.2 million | Landslide | 28 | 3 |
| 14 | Grand Isle County | Very Low | 1.9 | $4.0 million | Ice storm | 16 | 0 |
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 Vermont
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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 Vermont
Which county in Vermont has the highest natural disaster risk?
Of Vermont'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 Chittenden County (score 63.9 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $221 million a year.
Which Vermont counties are most at risk from tornadoes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index tornado risk score: Windham County, Windsor County, Chittenden County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
Which Vermont counties are most at risk from hurricanes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index hurricane risk score: Windham County, Windsor County, Bennington County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Vermont had?
OpenFEMA lists 60 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Vermont since 1963 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4826-VT, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared 26 September 2024.