Natural disaster risk in Essex County, Massachusetts
Massachusetts · population 808,897 · FIPS 25009
Overall: relatively high risk
Essex County has a composite risk score of 95.6 out of 100 — higher than 95% of US counties. It ranks 2 of 14 in Massachusetts (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are coastal flooding, ice storm, inland (riverine) flooding.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 99.56% of Essex 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 at least 54 weeks in a row.
Drought in Essex 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 high 95.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $198.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively high 95.6 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 34.2 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 95.6 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Essex County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | Very high 97 |
| Ice storm | Very high 97 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively high 97 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 95 |
| Hurricane | Relatively high 93 |
| Tornado | Relatively high 92 |
| Strong wind | Relatively high 88 |
| Earthquake | Relatively moderate 94 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 89 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 79 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 62 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 45 |
| Wildfire | Very low 59 |
| Hail | Very low 14 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Essex County
Federal declarations that designated Essex 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 Essex 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 Essex County, Massachusetts?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Essex County as relatively high, with a score of 95.6 out of 100 (higher than 95% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Essex County?
The hazards rated highest for Essex County are coastal flooding (very high), ice storm (very high), inland (riverine) flooding (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Essex County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Essex County as relatively high, and coastal flooding risk as very high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Essex County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Essex County.
Is Essex County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 99.56% of Essex 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 at least 54 weeks in a row.
Every county in Massachusetts, ranked · All states · Disasters near me