Natural disaster risk in Bristol County, Massachusetts
Massachusetts · population 578,698 · FIPS 25005
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Bristol County has a composite risk score of 89.9 out of 100 — higher than 89% of US counties. It ranks 8 of 14 in Massachusetts (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are inland (riverine) flooding, strong wind, ice storm.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 9.95% of Bristol 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 42 weeks in a row.
Drought in Bristol 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 89.9 |
| Expected annual loss About $87.3 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 89.5 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 32.7 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 85 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Bristol County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively high 93 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 86 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 83 |
| Hurricane | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 87 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 75 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 67 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively moderate 66 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 88 |
| Drought | Relatively low 60 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 52 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 43 |
| Landslide | Very low 46 |
| Wildfire | Very low 38 |
| Hail | Very low 7 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Bristol County
Federal declarations that designated Bristol County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Bristol County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4780-MA (Severe Storms and Flooding), declared 15 May 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4780-MA | Major disaster | Severe Storms and Flooding | 15 May 2024 | Yes |
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 Bristol County, Massachusetts?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Bristol County as relatively moderate, with a score of 89.9 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 Bristol County?
The hazards rated highest for Bristol County are inland (riverine) flooding (relatively high), strong wind (relatively high), ice storm (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Bristol County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Bristol County as relatively high, and coastal flooding risk as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Bristol County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Bristol County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4780-MA (Severe Storms and Flooding), declared 15 May 2024.
Is Bristol County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 9.95% of Bristol 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 42 weeks in a row.
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