FEMA “Major Disaster Declarations” Rank By State
Since 1953, 60 years of data reveal that there have been 2,115 “Major Disaster Declarations” in the United States according to government statistics listed by FEMA.
You may be surprised to discover the list of states that rank higher than the rest with regard to number of disasters once you factor in population and land area…
Once you divide the number of major disasters by land area, population, or both… the results may not be what you may have thought…
The logic that I’ve used to rank the states that are apparently most and least likely to suffer major disasters is simple, but interesting and telling nonetheless.
Just bear in mind that in order to determine more detailed rank than what is shown below, one would have to consider additional factors including severity and frequency of occurrence, economic impact, loss of life, and other data.
State Disaster Rank (overall)
(# disasters / population per million) x (# disasters / per thousand sq. miles)
This list uses the raw FEMA data (the list at the bottom) and then factors the state population and land area. The worst states (with higher probability to affect people based on the formula above) are listed first.
State | Majority of disasters | ||
1 | Vermont | Severe storms, Flooding | 214 |
2 | Delaware | Hurricanes | 125 |
3 | Rhode Island | Hurricanes | 121 |
4 | New Hampshire | Severe storms, Flooding | 82 |
5 | Hawaii | Severe storms, Flooding | 80 |
6 | West Virginia | Severe storms, Flooding, Landslides | 55 |
7 | Maine | Severe storms, Flooding | 40 |
8 | North Dakota | Severe storms, Flooding | 37 |
9 | South Dakota | Severe storms, Flooding | 26 |
10 | Oklahoma | Severe stroms, Tornadoes | 21 |
11 | Connecticut | Severe storms, Flooding | 20 |
12 | New Jersey | Severe storms, Flooding | 20 |
13 | Arkansas | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 19 |
14 | Mississippi | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 19 |
15 | Kentucky | Severe storms, Flooding | 18 |
16 | Louisiana | Severe storms, Hurricanes | 18 |
17 | Massachusetts | Severe storms, Flooding | 16 |
18 | Nebraska | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 15 |
19 | Iowa | Severe storms, Flooding | 14 |
20 | Alabama | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 13 |
21 | Kansas | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 10 |
22 | Tennessee | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 10 |
23 | Maryland | Hurricanes, Severe storms | 10 |
24 | Indiana | Severe storms, Flooding | 7 |
25 | Missouri | Severe storms, Flooding | 7 |
26 | Virginia | Severe storms, Flooding | 7 |
27 | Minnesota | Severe storms, Flooding | 6 |
28 | New York | Severe storms, Flooding | 5 |
29 | Ohio | Severe storms, Flooding | 5 |
30 | Washington | Severe storms, Flooding, Landslides | 5 |
31 | Wisconsin | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 4 |
32 | Florida | Hurricanes | 4 |
33 | Pennsylvania | Severe storms, Flooding | 4 |
34 | Idaho | Flooding | 4 |
35 | Illinois | Severe storms, Flooding | 4 |
36 | Alaska | Severe storms, Flooding, Landslides | 4 |
37 | North Carolina | Hurricanes | 3 |
38 | Montana | Severe storms, Flooding | 3 |
39 | New Mexico | Severe storms, Flooding | 2 |
40 | Georgia | Severe storms, Tornadoes | 2 |
41 | Oregon | Severe storms, Flooding | 2 |
42 | South Carolina | Hurricanes | 2 |
43 | Wyoming | Severe storms, Flooding | 1 |
44 | Texas | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Hurricanes | 1 |
45 | Michigan | Severe storms, Flooding | 1 |
46 | California | Severe storms, Flooding, Landslides | 1 |
47 | Nevada | Severe storms, Flooding | 1 |
48 | Arizona | Severe storms, Flooding | 1 |
49 | Colorado | Severe storms, Flooding | 1 |
50 | Utah | Severe storms, Flooding | 1 |
State Disaster Rank (per population)
(# disasters / population per million people)
This list factors only the population of each state while disregarding land area.
1 | North Dakota | Severe storms, Flooding | 60 |
2 | Vermont | Severe storms, Flooding | 57 |
3 | Alaska | Severe storms, Flooding, Landslides | 54 |
4 | South Dakota | Severe storms, Flooding | 50 |
5 | Maine | Severe storms, Flooding | 31 |
6 | West Virginia | Severe storms, Flooding, Landslides | 26 |
7 | Nebraska | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 25 |
8 | New Hampshire | Severe storms, Flooding | 24 |
9 | Montana | Severe storms, Flooding | 21 |
10 | Oklahoma | Severe stroms, Tornadoes | 19 |
11 | Arkansas | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 19 |
12 | Hawaii | Severe storms, Flooding | 19 |
13 | Mississippi | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 17 |
14 | Kansas | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 17 |
15 | Delaware | Hurricanes | 17 |
16 | Iowa | Severe storms, Flooding | 16 |
17 | Wyoming | Severe storms, Flooding | 15 |
18 | Idaho | Flooding | 14 |
19 | Louisiana | Severe storms, Hurricanes | 13 |
20 | Kentucky | Severe storms, Flooding | 13 |
21 | New Mexico | Severe storms, Flooding | 12 |
22 | Alabama | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 12 |
23 | Rhode Island | Hurricanes | 11 |
24 | Minnesota | Severe storms, Flooding | 9 |
25 | Missouri | Severe storms, Flooding | 9 |
26 | Tennessee | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 8 |
27 | Oregon | Severe storms, Flooding | 7 |
28 | Washington | Severe storms, Flooding, Landslides | 7 |
29 | Wisconsin | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 6 |
30 | Indiana | Severe storms, Flooding | 6 |
31 | Nevada | Severe storms, Flooding | 6 |
32 | Virginia | Severe storms, Flooding | 6 |
33 | Connecticut | Severe storms, Flooding | 5 |
34 | Massachusetts | Severe storms, Flooding | 4 |
35 | Ohio | Severe storms, Flooding | 4 |
36 | North Carolina | Hurricanes | 4 |
37 | Maryland | Hurricanes, Severe storms | 4 |
38 | Illinois | Severe storms, Flooding | 4 |
39 | New Jersey | Severe storms, Flooding | 4 |
40 | Utah | Severe storms, Flooding | 4 |
41 | Pennsylvania | Severe storms, Flooding | 4 |
42 | Georgia | Severe storms, Tornadoes | 4 |
43 | Arizona | Severe storms, Flooding | 4 |
44 | Texas | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Hurricanes | 3 |
45 | New York | Severe storms, Flooding | 3 |
46 | Florida | Hurricanes | 3 |
47 | Colorado | Severe storms, Flooding | 3 |
48 | South Carolina | Hurricanes | 3 |
49 | Michigan | Severe storms, Flooding | 3 |
50 | California | Severe storms, Flooding, Landslides | 2 |
State Disaster Rank (per square miles)
(# disasters / per 1,000 square miles)
This list factors only the land area of each state while disregarding population.
1 | California | Severe storms, Flooding, Landslides | 11.0 |
2 | Texas | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Hurricanes | 7.5 |
3 | Kansas | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 5.0 |
4 | New Mexico | Severe storms, Flooding | 4.3 |
5 | Idaho | Flooding | 3.8 |
6 | Alaska | Severe storms, Flooding, Landslides | 3.8 |
7 | North Dakota | Severe storms, Flooding | 3.6 |
8 | Montana | Severe storms, Flooding | 3.4 |
9 | Iowa | Severe storms, Flooding | 2.4 |
10 | Arizona | Severe storms, Flooding | 2.1 |
11 | Alabama | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 1.4 |
12 | Nebraska | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 1.4 |
13 | South Dakota | Severe storms, Flooding | 1.4 |
14 | Nevada | Severe storms, Flooding | 1.3 |
15 | Michigan | Severe storms, Flooding | 1.2 |
16 | Pennsylvania | Severe storms, Flooding | 1.2 |
17 | Florida | Hurricanes | 1.2 |
18 | North Carolina | Hurricanes | 1.1 |
19 | Washington | Severe storms, Flooding, Landslides | 1.1 |
20 | Illinois | Severe storms, Flooding | 1.1 |
21 | Minnesota | Severe storms, Flooding | 1.1 |
22 | Oregon | Severe storms, Flooding | 1.1 |
23 | Louisiana | Severe storms, Hurricanes | 1.1 |
24 | Utah | Severe storms, Flooding | 1.0 |
25 | Ohio | Severe storms, Flooding | 0.9 |
26 | Missouri | Severe storms, Flooding | 0.9 |
27 | Virginia | Severe storms, Flooding | 0.8 |
28 | Wisconsin | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 0.8 |
29 | Mississippi | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 0.7 |
30 | New York | Severe storms, Flooding | 0.7 |
31 | Arkansas | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 0.6 |
32 | South Carolina | Hurricanes | 0.6 |
33 | Oklahoma | Severe stroms, Tornadoes | 0.6 |
34 | Colorado | Severe storms, Flooding | 0.6 |
35 | Georgia | Severe storms, Tornadoes | 0.6 |
36 | Wyoming | Severe storms, Flooding | 0.5 |
37 | Maryland | Hurricanes, Severe storms | 0.5 |
38 | New Jersey | Severe storms, Flooding | 0.5 |
39 | Massachusetts | Severe storms, Flooding | 0.4 |
40 | New Hampshire | Severe storms, Flooding | 0.3 |
41 | West Virginia | Severe storms, Flooding, Landslides | 0.3 |
42 | Tennessee | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 0.3 |
43 | Maine | Severe storms, Flooding | 0.2 |
44 | Connecticut | Severe storms, Flooding | 0.2 |
45 | Delaware | Hurricanes | 0.2 |
46 | Hawaii | Severe storms, Flooding | 0.2 |
47 | Indiana | Severe storms, Flooding | 0.1 |
48 | Rhode Island | Hurricanes | 0.1 |
49 | Vermont | Severe storms, Flooding | 0.1 |
50 | Kentucky | Severe storms, Flooding | 0.1 |
FEMA raw data
(# disasters)
The number of major disasters listed by FEMA per state.
1 | Texas | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Hurricanes | 86 |
2 | California | Severe storms, Flooding, Landslides | 78 |
3 | Oklahoma | Severe stroms, Tornadoes | 74 |
4 | New York | Severe storms, Flooding | 67 |
5 | Florida | Hurricanes | 65 |
6 | Louisiana | Severe storms, Hurricanes | 60 |
7 | Alabama | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 57 |
8 | Kentucky | Severe storms, Flooding | 56 |
9 | Arkansas | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 54 |
10 | Missouri | Severe storms, Flooding | 53 |
11 | Mississippi | Severe storms, Flooding | 52 |
12 | Illinois | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 52 |
13 | Tennessee | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 51 |
14 | West Virginia | Severe storms, Flooding | 50 |
15 | Minnesota | Severe storms, Flooding, Landslides | 50 |
16 | Iowa | Severe storms, Flooding | 49 |
17 | Kansas | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 49 |
18 | Pennsylvania | Severe storms, Flooding | 48 |
19 | Nebraska | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 47 |
20 | Virginia | Severe storms, Flooding | 47 |
21 | Ohio | Severe storms, Flooding | 47 |
22 | Washington | Severe storms, Flooding, Landslides | 46 |
23 | North Dakota | Severe storms, Flooding | 42 |
24 | Maine | Severe storms, Flooding | 40 |
25 | South Dakota | Severe storms, Flooding | 40 |
26 | Indiana | Hurricanes | 40 |
27 | North Carolina | Severe storms, Flooding | 40 |
28 | Alaska | Severe storms, Flooding, Landslides | 38 |
29 | Wisconsin | Severe storms, Tornadoes | 36 |
30 | Georgia | Severe storms, Tornadoes, Flooding | 36 |
31 | New Jersey | Severe storms, Flooding | 35 |
32 | Vermont | Severe storms, Flooding | 34 |
33 | New Hampshire | Severe storms, Flooding | 31 |
34 | Massachusetts | Severe storms, Flooding | 29 |
35 | Oregon | Severe storms, Flooding | 28 |
36 | Hawaii | Severe storms, Flooding | 26 |
37 | New Mexico | Severe storms, Flooding | 25 |
38 | Michigan | Severe storms, Flooding | 25 |
39 | Maryland | Hurricanes, Severe storms | 24 |
40 | Idaho | Severe storms, Flooding | 23 |
41 | Arizona | Flooding | 23 |
42 | Montana | Severe storms, Flooding | 21 |
43 | Connecticut | Severe storms, Flooding | 19 |
44 | Nevada | Severe storms, Flooding | 17 |
45 | Colorado | Severe storms, Flooding | 17 |
46 | Delaware | Hurricanes | 15 |
47 | South Carolina | Hurricanes | 15 |
48 | Rhode Island | Hurricanes | 11 |
49 | Utah | Severe storms, Flooding | 11 |
50 | Wyoming | Severe storms, Flooding | 9 |






Interesting stuff Ken, thanks for posting. As a Floridian, I tend to look dies of Cat II or greater. Having ridden out five hurricanes of Cat II or greater, I have first hand experience when it comes to disasters. While Frances and Jeanne were nasty storms by their own right, they were mostly giant inconveniences, since they mostly twisted up aluminum porch and pool enclosures and peeled off roofs [apologies to those who lost more, but the lions share of damage from these two was markedly less than other storms].
That said, Ivan, Andrew and Charley were nasty home wrecking nightmares that destroyed tens of bilions of dollars in property and took a number of lives.
At this stage, having been through so many storms, a lot of us here are significantly more prepared than the average Joe Six Pack to endure the aftermath of large storms. While we appear to rank pretty low on several charts as regards disasters, when they happen here they are huge.
All of us bear the full responsibility for our own survival. Contrary to popular belief, FEMA exists simply to provide a little help and basic emergency services. What used to be a good idea has morphed in to “Where’s my money card”? Why I caint’ get no hep up in here”?
I would like to see a national preparedness campaign to educate and prepare folks to lift their own dumb asses up in the event of power outage, roof damage from storms and the like. The storm in the north east recently was a huge wake-up call for people. I was dumbfounded at how ill prepared they were to withstand simple power outages and gas shortages. They ahd ten days warning yet still panicked the day or two before the storm and then cried about “Someone should go to jail for this” and “The government should make sure there is enough gas for everyone after a storm”.
I am not sure when it became the providence of the government to guarantee the supply of anything, but the screaming out of the north east was pretty loudly demanding it.
I say get yourself ready and prepare in advance, because you are the only one charged with insuring that you have what you need. The government is not responsible to make sure you have a full tank of gas, you are.
Live in Mississippi,have been a preparer for a long time,but especially after Katrina.We went without power for 4 weeks,luckily we had a generator,and could cook,and have AC,because it was very hot and humid after the hurricane,we also watched the local news to keep up with local events.It was a hard time but times can and will get harder,I feel for those folks in Moore Oklahoma,bad losing family and your homes.Just prepare with some disaster supplies to help you make it through,because you never know.Keep your powder dry.
I don’t know where the above data came form but I question the stats. As a former FEMA DAE I worked 54 disasters over a period of 11 years. In three years alone the state of MO had more disasters than listed. I really question IA’s figures also.
The source for the data was from FEMA themselves…
https://www.fema.gov/ar/disasters/grid/state-tribal-government
The data listed are their “Major Disaster Declarations”. Note that there are various categories of disasters, and for this article I chose what was considered to be “major”.
That explains it.
I question any result that has California with only one “disaster”. Between earthquakes, mud slides, tornadoes, and wild fires that is one dangerous place to live.
@Novice, California has had 78 “Major Disasters” according to the FEMA data (at the bottom of the article). Not sure where you came up with “one”.
I believe you may have overlooked the formula for the first table, which is, (# disasters / population per million) x (# disasters / per thousand sq. miles), which was used to acquire a ranking that related to population and the square miles of each state.