Natural disaster risk in Mariposa County, California
California · population 17,060 · FIPS 06043
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Mariposa County has a composite risk score of 86.4 out of 100 — higher than 86% of US counties. It ranks 43 of 58 in California (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are landslide, wildfire, heat wave.
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 Mariposa 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 30 weeks in a row.
Drought in Mariposa 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 86.4 |
| Expected annual loss About $38.1 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 78.7 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 93 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 21.3 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Mariposa County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively high 99 |
| Wildfire | Relatively high 99 |
| Heat wave | Relatively high 98 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 77 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 75 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 69 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 70 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 67 |
| Volcanic activity | Very low 58 |
| Avalanche | Very low 40 |
| Strong wind | Very low 10 |
| Hail | Very low 6 |
| Tornado | Very low 6 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Cold wave | No rating |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Ice storm | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Mariposa County
Federal declarations that designated Mariposa County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Mariposa County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5503-CA (French Fire), declared 5 Jul 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FM-5503-CA | Fire management | French Fire | 5 Jul 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 Mariposa County, California?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Mariposa County as relatively moderate, with a score of 86.4 out of 100 (higher than 86% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Mariposa County?
The hazards rated highest for Mariposa County are landslide (relatively high), wildfire (relatively high), heat wave (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Mariposa County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Mariposa County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Mariposa County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Mariposa County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5503-CA (French Fire), declared 5 Jul 2024.
Is Mariposa County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Mariposa 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 30 weeks in a row.
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