Natural disaster risk in La Paz County, Arizona
Arizona · population 16,451 · FIPS 04012
Overall: relatively moderate risk
La Paz County has a composite risk score of 83.5 out of 100 — higher than 83% of US counties. It ranks 12 of 15 in Arizona (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are inland (riverine) flooding, heat wave, drought.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 31 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 81.81% of La Paz County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 31 weeks in a row.
Drought in La Paz County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively moderate 83.5 |
| Expected annual loss About $27.5 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 70.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 94.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 0.2 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in La Paz County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 90 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 79 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 70 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 19 |
| Landslide | Very low 56 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 42 |
| Hurricane | Very low 16 |
| Avalanche | Very low 13 |
| Hail | Very low 7 |
| Lightning | Very low 6 |
| Tornado | Very low 4 |
| Winter weather | Very low 1 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Cold wave | No rating |
| Ice storm | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for La Paz County
Federal declarations that designated La Paz County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names La Paz County.
All FEMA declarations in Arizona, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
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). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in La Paz County, Arizona?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in La Paz County as relatively moderate, with a score of 83.5 out of 100 (higher than 83% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in La Paz County?
The hazards rated highest for La Paz County are inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate), heat wave (relatively moderate), drought (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in La Paz County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in La Paz County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has La Paz County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names La Paz County.
Is La Paz County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 81.81% of La Paz County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 31 weeks in a row.
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