Natural disaster risk in Barnstable County, Massachusetts
Massachusetts · population 228,870 · FIPS 25001
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Barnstable County has a composite risk score of 89.1 out of 100 — higher than 89% of US counties. It ranks 9 of 14 in Massachusetts (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are coastal flooding, hurricane, lightning.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, at least 54 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 45.75% of Barnstable County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.
Drought in Barnstable 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 89.1 |
| Expected annual loss About $82.3 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 89.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 34.4 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 99.3 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Barnstable County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | Very high 94 |
| Hurricane | Relatively high 94 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 86 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 90 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 60 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 78 |
| Hail | Relatively low 68 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 66 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 46 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 45 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 38 |
| Drought | Relatively low 31 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 30 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 24 |
| Wildfire | Very low 53 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Barnstable County
Federal declarations that designated Barnstable 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 Barnstable County.
All FEMA declarations in Massachusetts, 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 Barnstable County, Massachusetts?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Barnstable County as relatively moderate, with a score of 89.1 out of 100 (higher than 89% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Barnstable County?
The hazards rated highest for Barnstable County are coastal flooding (very high), hurricane (relatively high), lightning (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Barnstable County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Barnstable County as relatively moderate, and coastal flooding risk as very high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Barnstable County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Barnstable County.
Is Barnstable County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 45.75% of Barnstable County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.
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