Wisconsin Natural Disaster Risk by County
Of Wisconsin's 72 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Milwaukee County (score 98.4 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $2.6 billion a year.
OpenFEMA lists 55 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Wisconsin since 1965 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4949-WI, Severe Storms and Tornadoes, declared 7 October 2026.
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Most exposed counties, hazard by hazard
Top 10 by FEMA hazard risk scoreHurricane 34 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dane County | Very Low | $16,577 |
| 2 | Brown County | Very Low | $12,482 |
| 3 | Manitowoc County | Very Low | $8,101 |
| 4 | Sheboygan County | Very Low | $8,628 |
| 5 | Fond du Lac County | Very Low | $7,877 |
| 6 | Racine County | Very Low | $6,284 |
| 7 | Milwaukee County | Very Low | $4,642 |
| 8 | Dodge County | Very Low | $6,219 |
| 9 | Outagamie County | Very Low | $7,254 |
| 10 | Kenosha County | Very Low | $5,774 |
Tornado 72 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee County | Very High | $32 million |
| 2 | Dane County | Relatively High | $26 million |
| 3 | Waukesha County | Relatively High | $24 million |
| 4 | Rock County | Relatively High | $13 million |
| 5 | Brown County | Relatively High | $12 million |
| 6 | Racine County | Relatively High | $11 million |
| 7 | Kenosha County | Relatively High | $10 million |
| 8 | Winnebago County | Relatively High | $9.4 million |
| 9 | Fond du Lac County | Relatively Moderate | $8.0 million |
| 10 | Walworth County | Relatively Moderate | $7.5 million |
Inland flooding 72 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee County | Relatively High | $101 million |
| 2 | Dane County | Relatively High | $84 million |
| 3 | Brown County | Relatively Moderate | $57 million |
| 4 | Waukesha County | Relatively Moderate | $68 million |
| 5 | Winnebago County | Relatively Moderate | $43 million |
| 6 | Marathon County | Relatively Moderate | $36 million |
| 7 | Rock County | Relatively Moderate | $38 million |
| 8 | Racine County | Relatively Moderate | $30 million |
| 9 | Eau Claire County | Relatively Moderate | $24 million |
| 10 | Jefferson County | Relatively Moderate | $23 million |
Coastal flooding 15 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brown County | Relatively Low | $69,312 |
| 2 | Door County | Very Low | $16,205 |
| 3 | Oconto County | Very Low | $12,538 |
| 4 | Milwaukee County | Very Low | $7,398 |
| 5 | Manitowoc County | Very Low | $7,684 |
| 6 | Ozaukee County | Very Low | $10,866 |
| 7 | Kenosha County | Very Low | $6,055 |
| 8 | Kewaunee County | Very Low | $6,082 |
| 9 | Sheboygan County | Very Low | $3,617 |
| 10 | Racine County | Very Low | $2,091 |
Wildfire 72 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burnett County | Relatively Low | $118,681 |
| 2 | Dane County | Very Low | $105,320 |
| 3 | Adams County | Very Low | $37,322 |
| 4 | Waushara County | Very Low | $52,956 |
| 5 | Fond du Lac County | Very Low | $61,291 |
| 6 | Waukesha County | Very Low | $83,382 |
| 7 | Washington County | Very Low | $79,698 |
| 8 | Wood County | Very Low | $47,744 |
| 9 | Dodge County | Very Low | $49,495 |
| 10 | Green Lake County | Very Low | $28,155 |
Earthquake 71 rated
| # | County | Rating | Loss a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee County | Relatively Low | $1.5 million |
| 2 | Dane County | Relatively Low | $1.0 million |
| 3 | Kenosha County | Relatively Low | $565,399 |
| 4 | Racine County | Relatively Low | $548,060 |
| 5 | Rock County | Very Low | $528,543 |
| 6 | Waukesha County | Very Low | $724,234 |
| 7 | Walworth County | Very Low | $358,083 |
| 8 | Jefferson County | Very Low | $225,092 |
| 9 | Dodge County | Very Low | $149,523 |
| 10 | Brown County | Very Low | $138,795 |
Every Wisconsin county, highest overall risk first
72| # | County | Overall risk | Score | Loss a year | Top hazard | Declarations | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee County | Relatively High | 98.4 | $342 million | Cold wave | 20 | 21 |
| 2 | Dane County | Relatively Moderate | 93.9 | $182 million | Cold wave | 17 | 78 |
| 3 | Brown County | Relatively Moderate | 90.0 | $104 million | Cold wave | 7 | 31 |
| 4 | Waukesha County | Relatively Moderate | 88.9 | $138 million | Cold wave | 17 | 39 |
| 5 | Marathon County | Relatively Moderate | 87.2 | $75 million | Cold wave | 10 | 63 |
| 6 | Winnebago County | Relatively Moderate | 86.8 | $75 million | Cold wave | 10 | 33 |
| 7 | Rock County | Relatively Moderate | 86.4 | $73 million | Hail | 14 | 36 |
| 8 | Racine County | Relatively Moderate | 85.4 | $64 million | Cold wave | 15 | 24 |
| 9 | Kenosha County | Relatively Moderate | 85.0 | $64 million | Cold wave | 14 | 11 |
| 10 | Columbia County | Relatively Moderate | 81.4 | $51 million | Hail | 9 | 39 |
| 11 | La Crosse County | Relatively Low | 80.5 | $54 million | Cold wave | 16 | 18 |
| 12 | Marinette County | Relatively Low | 80.0 | $41 million | Cold wave | 5 | 22 |
| 13 | Outagamie County | Relatively Low | 79.7 | $59 million | Cold wave | 10 | 36 |
| 14 | Monroe County | Relatively Low | 78.8 | $31 million | Cold wave | 13 | 26 |
| 15 | Eau Claire County | Relatively Low | 78.3 | $48 million | Cold wave | 7 | 26 |
| 16 | Fond du Lac County | Relatively Low | 76.3 | $44 million | Hail | 10 | 58 |
| 17 | Wood County | Relatively Low | 75.9 | $39 million | Cold wave | 11 | 19 |
| 18 | Jefferson County | Relatively Low | 75.8 | $42 million | Hail | 12 | 50 |
| 19 | Vernon County | Relatively Low | 75.0 | $25 million | Landslide | 21 | 25 |
| 20 | Walworth County | Relatively Low | 74.8 | $40 million | Hail | 11 | 38 |
| 21 | Sawyer County | Relatively Low | 74.5 | $23 million | Cold wave | 7 | 9 |
| 22 | Sauk County | Relatively Low | 72.1 | $36 million | Hail | 13 | 25 |
| 23 | Adams County | Relatively Low | 70.9 | $20 million | Hail | 10 | 25 |
| 24 | Juneau County | Relatively Low | 70.8 | $24 million | Heat wave | 14 | 28 |
| 25 | Sheboygan County | Relatively Low | 70.2 | $36 million | Hail | 9 | 11 |
| 26 | Dodge County | Relatively Low | 69.9 | $34 million | Hail | 11 | 68 |
| 27 | Manitowoc County | Relatively Low | 68.9 | $32 million | Hail | 7 | 22 |
| 28 | Barron County | Relatively Low | 68.6 | $26 million | Cold wave | 8 | 43 |
| 29 | Clark County | Relatively Low | 68.4 | $18 million | Cold wave | 13 | 44 |
| 30 | Washington County | Relatively Low | 68.3 | $48 million | Cold wave | 12 | 20 |
| 31 | Waupaca County | Relatively Low | 67.6 | $24 million | Cold wave | 9 | 25 |
| 32 | Chippewa County | Relatively Low | 67.3 | $32 million | Cold wave | 9 | 38 |
| 33 | St. Croix County | Relatively Low | 64.1 | $36 million | Strong wind | 9 | 32 |
| 34 | Polk County | Relatively Low | 63.3 | $23 million | Cold wave | 8 | 34 |
| 35 | Vilas County | Relatively Low | 63.3 | $19 million | Cold wave | 5 | 16 |
| 36 | Shawano County | Relatively Low | 63.1 | $26 million | Cold wave | 6 | 29 |
| 37 | Portage County | Relatively Low | 62.7 | $36 million | Cold wave | 10 | 25 |
| 38 | Oneida County | Relatively Low | 62.5 | $24 million | Cold wave | 7 | 22 |
| 39 | Douglas County | Relatively Low | 62.4 | $25 million | Cold wave | 8 | 12 |
| 40 | Oconto County | Relatively Low | 61.5 | $22 million | Cold wave | 4 | 16 |
| 41 | Grant County | Relatively Low | 61.1 | $21 million | Landslide | 18 | 59 |
| 42 | Trempealeau County | Relatively Low | 58.7 | $20 million | Landslide | 13 | 25 |
| 43 | Green Lake County | Relatively Low | 58.0 | $14 million | Hail | 7 | 40 |
| 44 | Florence County | Relatively Low | 54.2 | $18 million | Cold wave | 4 | 3 |
| 45 | Lincoln County | Relatively Low | 52.6 | $19 million | Cold wave | 7 | 25 |
| 46 | Richland County | Relatively Low | 51.6 | $13 million | Landslide | 17 | 13 |
| 47 | Ozaukee County | Relatively Low | 50.3 | $33 million | Cold wave | 11 | 5 |
| 48 | Langlade County | Relatively Low | 49.6 | $15 million | Cold wave | 6 | 8 |
| 49 | Burnett County | Relatively Low | 49.3 | $12 million | Cold wave | 8 | 15 |
| 50 | Dunn County | Relatively Low | 48.8 | $22 million | Landslide | 11 | 23 |
| 51 | Jackson County | Relatively Low | 48.1 | $13 million | Landslide | 12 | 18 |
| 52 | Marquette County | Relatively Low | 47.6 | $13 million | Hail | 7 | 27 |
| 53 | Forest County | Relatively Low | 47.4 | $12 million | Cold wave | 6 | 5 |
| 54 | Door County | Relatively Low | 46.9 | $15 million | Cold wave | 4 | 10 |
| 55 | Green County | Relatively Low | 46.4 | $18 million | Hail | 15 | 35 |
| 56 | Crawford County | Relatively Low | 46.2 | $14 million | Landslide | 20 | 14 |
| 57 | Waushara County | Relatively Low | 43.3 | $14 million | Hail | 8 | 29 |
| 58 | Pierce County | Very Low | 42.3 | $19 million | Strong wind | 11 | 21 |
| 59 | Rusk County | Very Low | 37.3 | $10 million | Cold wave | 10 | 16 |
| 60 | Taylor County | Very Low | 37.2 | $11 million | Cold wave | 6 | 10 |
| 61 | Bayfield County | Very Low | 35.1 | $9.3 million | Cold wave | 10 | 5 |
| 62 | Lafayette County | Very Low | 33.1 | $12 million | Cold wave | 12 | 37 |
| 63 | Washburn County | Very Low | 32.8 | $10 million | Cold wave | 8 | 7 |
| 64 | Price County | Very Low | 32.3 | $9.2 million | Cold wave | 6 | 27 |
| 65 | Ashland County | Very Low | 31.7 | $8.6 million | Cold wave | 12 | 11 |
| 66 | Calumet County | Very Low | 30.2 | $19 million | Hail | 9 | 24 |
| 67 | Iowa County | Very Low | 23.4 | $11 million | Landslide | 15 | 31 |
| 68 | Kewaunee County | Very Low | 17.3 | $8.5 million | Cold wave | 6 | 11 |
| 69 | Buffalo County | Very Low | 14.5 | $7.0 million | Landslide | 14 | 17 |
| 70 | Iron County | Very Low | 11.5 | $3.9 million | Cold wave | 10 | 6 |
| 71 | Menominee County | Very Low | 9.1 | $2.9 million | Lightning | 5 | 5 |
| 72 | Pepin County | Very Low | 7.2 | $4.0 million | Landslide | 11 | 7 |
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 Wisconsin
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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 Wisconsin
Which county in Wisconsin has the highest natural disaster risk?
Of Wisconsin's 72 counties, 0 have a Very High natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025); the highest is Milwaukee County (score 98.4 of 100), and expected losses across the state total $2.6 billion a year.
Which Wisconsin counties are most at risk from tornadoes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index tornado risk score: Milwaukee County, Dane County, Waukesha County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
Which Wisconsin counties are most at risk from hurricanes?
By FEMA's National Risk Index hurricane risk score: Dane County, Brown County, Manitowoc County. These are planning-level estimates for whole counties, not maps of individual properties.
How many FEMA disaster declarations has Wisconsin had?
OpenFEMA lists 55 federal disaster, emergency and fire management declarations for Wisconsin since 1965 (not counting COVID-19); the latest is DR-4949-WI, Severe Storms and Tornadoes, declared 7 October 2026.