Natural disaster risk in Arkansas, by county
All 75 counties in Arkansas, ranked by FEMA's National Risk Index composite risk score, with each one's highest-rated hazard. Other states
At a glance
0
Very high risk
1
Relatively high risk
10
Relatively moderate risk
42
Relatively low risk
22
Very low risk
Highest overall risk: Pulaski County (relatively high, score 96.8). Lowest: Calhoun County (very low, score 2.3).
Top hazards in Arkansas
| Hazard | Counties rated relatively high or very high | Average score |
|---|---|---|
| Ice storm | 62 of 75 | 90.3 |
| Lightning | 14 of 75 | 58.1 |
| Tornado | 10 of 75 | 70.2 |
| Strong wind | 10 of 75 | 59.5 |
| Winter weather | 6 of 75 | 51.0 |
All counties, highest risk first
| # | County | Overall risk | Highest-rated hazard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pulaski County | Relatively high 96.8 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 2 | Washington County | Relatively moderate 92.3 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 3 | Craighead County | Relatively moderate 91.8 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 4 | Garland County | Relatively moderate 89.3 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 5 | Mississippi County | Relatively moderate 89.2 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 6 | Benton County | Relatively moderate 88.7 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 7 | Sebastian County | Relatively moderate 86.8 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 8 | Faulkner County | Relatively moderate 86.2 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 9 | White County | Relatively moderate 85.7 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 10 | Jefferson County | Relatively moderate 85.2 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 11 | Crittenden County | Relatively moderate 83 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 12 | Greene County | Relatively low 80.2 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 13 | Pope County | Relatively low 77.8 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 14 | Saline County | Relatively low 77.6 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 15 | Lonoke County | Relatively low 75.1 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 16 | St. Francis County | Relatively low 74.7 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 17 | Cleburne County | Relatively low 72.7 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 18 | Poinsett County | Relatively low 72.5 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 19 | Baxter County | Relatively low 72.3 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 20 | Clay County | Relatively low 71.6 | Drought (relatively high) |
| 21 | Crawford County | Relatively low 71.6 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 22 | Miller County | Relatively low 70.8 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 23 | Independence County | Relatively low 69.1 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 24 | Sharp County | Relatively low 68.1 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 25 | Lawrence County | Relatively low 67.9 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 26 | Jackson County | Relatively low 67.8 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 27 | Randolph County | Relatively low 67 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 28 | Cross County | Relatively low 64.9 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 29 | Sevier County | Relatively low 64.9 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 30 | Carroll County | Relatively low 64.6 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 31 | Arkansas County | Relatively low 63.2 | Earthquake (relatively moderate) |
| 32 | Boone County | Relatively low 62.3 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 33 | Phillips County | Relatively low 61.7 | Earthquake (relatively moderate) |
| 34 | Yell County | Relatively low 58.9 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 35 | Johnson County | Relatively low 58.1 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 36 | Conway County | Relatively low 56.6 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 37 | Hot Spring County | Relatively low 55.5 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 38 | Ashley County | Relatively low 53.9 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 39 | Union County | Relatively low 53.9 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 40 | Izard County | Relatively low 53.1 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 41 | Hempstead County | Relatively low 52.1 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 42 | Ouachita County | Relatively low 51.2 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 43 | Fulton County | Relatively low 50.7 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 44 | Van Buren County | Relatively low 50.6 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 45 | Stone County | Relatively low 49.9 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 46 | Franklin County | Relatively low 49.4 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 47 | Howard County | Relatively low 48.5 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 48 | Logan County | Relatively low 48.2 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 49 | Marion County | Relatively low 48 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 50 | Polk County | Relatively low 46.1 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 51 | Madison County | Relatively low 45.1 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 52 | Little River County | Relatively low 44.1 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 53 | Chicot County | Relatively low 43.8 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 54 | Woodruff County | Very low 42.3 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 55 | Columbia County | Very low 42.1 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 56 | Prairie County | Very low 41.4 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 57 | Clark County | Very low 41.1 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 58 | Lee County | Very low 40.4 | Earthquake (relatively moderate) |
| 59 | Monroe County | Very low 36.5 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 60 | Drew County | Very low 35.1 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 61 | Lafayette County | Very low 33.2 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 62 | Desha County | Very low 32.9 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 63 | Bradley County | Very low 30.8 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 64 | Montgomery County | Very low 30.7 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 65 | Nevada County | Very low 30.6 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 66 | Lincoln County | Very low 29.8 | Drought (relatively high) |
| 67 | Perry County | Very low 28.1 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 68 | Searcy County | Very low 27.7 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 69 | Scott County | Very low 26.8 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 70 | Pike County | Very low 26.6 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 71 | Newton County | Very low 18.4 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 72 | Grant County | Very low 15.7 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 73 | Dallas County | Very low 10.1 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 74 | Cleveland County | Very low 9.5 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 75 | Calhoun County | Very low 2.3 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
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
Which county in Arkansas has the highest natural disaster risk?
Pulaski County has the highest composite risk score in Arkansas in FEMA's National Risk Index: 96.8, rated relatively high.
Which county in Arkansas has the lowest natural disaster risk?
Calhoun County has the lowest composite risk score in Arkansas: 2.3, rated very low. A low score means lower modelled risk compared with other US counties, not no risk.
What natural disasters is Arkansas most at risk from?
Across Arkansas, the hazards rated highest in the most counties are ice storm, lightning, tornado, according to FEMA's National Risk Index. Each county page lists all 18 hazards.
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