HOW THIS WORKS

Methodology & honesty

A hazard scorecard is only useful if you can trust where the numbers come from. Here's our plan — and what you're looking at today.

Where the ratings come from

Every scorecard reads from the FEMA National Risk Index — a public model that combines a hazard's expected annual loss, a community's social vulnerability, and its resilience into a comparable risk score for every US county. We cover 50 major counties, as of 2026-07-06.

How to read the percentiles

Both the composite risk and each per-hazard score are national percentiles (0–100): a wildfire score of 90 means the county's wildfire risk is higher than about 90% of US counties — relative standing, not a probability. A big city can score “Very High” largely because there's more in harm's way (expected loss scales with what's exposed). Hazards that don't apply to a county (e.g. coastal flooding well inland) are omitted rather than shown as zero. Nothing here is invented (rule 12).

Not a guarantee

Risk estimates come from public models. They describe likelihood, not certainty, and can't account for every property detail. Always verify your insurance needs with a licensed professional — and we'll never use risk to push a fear-based sale.