Natural disaster risk in Butte County, California
California · population 211,490 · FIPS 06007
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Butte County has a composite risk score of 93.9 out of 100 — higher than 93% of US counties. It ranks 32 of 58 in California (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, wildfire, earthquake.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Butte County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 32 weeks in a row.
Drought in Butte 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 93.9 |
| Expected annual loss About $127.2 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 92.8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 59 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 60.4 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Butte County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Very high 99 |
| Wildfire | Relatively high 98 |
| Earthquake | Relatively moderate 97 |
| Landslide | Relatively moderate 97 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 93 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 68 |
| Hail | Relatively low 33 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 28 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 25 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 79 |
| Avalanche | Very low 27 |
| Strong wind | Very low 12 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Cold wave | No rating |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Ice storm | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Butte County
Federal declarations that designated Butte County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Butte County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5519-CA (Park Fire), declared 25 Jul 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FM-5519-CA | Fire management | Park Fire | 25 Jul 2024 | No |
| FM-5502-CA | Fire management | Thompson Fire | 2 Jul 2024 | No |
| DR-4769-CA | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 13 Apr 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in California, 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 Butte County, California?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Butte County as relatively moderate, with a score of 93.9 out of 100 (higher than 93% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Butte County?
The hazards rated highest for Butte County are drought (very high), wildfire (relatively high), earthquake (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Butte County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Butte County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Butte County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Butte County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5519-CA (Park Fire), declared 25 Jul 2024.
Is Butte County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Butte County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 32 weeks in a row.
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