Natural disaster risk in Michigan, by county
All 83 counties in Michigan, ranked by FEMA's National Risk Index composite risk score, with each one's highest-rated hazard. Other states
At a glance
0
Very high risk
3
Relatively high risk
10
Relatively moderate risk
37
Relatively low risk
33
Very low risk
Highest overall risk: Wayne County (relatively high, score 99.0). Lowest: Keweenaw County (very low, score 0.7).
Top hazards in Michigan
| Hazard | Counties rated relatively high or very high | Average score |
|---|---|---|
| Strong wind | 36 of 83 | 61.2 |
| Winter weather | 28 of 83 | 61.4 |
| Cold wave | 16 of 83 | 69.0 |
| Tornado | 11 of 83 | 51.3 |
| Ice storm | 10 of 83 | 42.3 |
All counties, highest risk first
| # | County | Overall risk | Highest-rated hazard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wayne County | Relatively high 99 | Cold wave (very high) |
| 2 | Oakland County | Relatively high 97.5 | Cold wave (very high) |
| 3 | Macomb County | Relatively high 96.7 | Cold wave (very high) |
| 4 | Genesee County | Relatively moderate 92.2 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 5 | Kent County | Relatively moderate 92.2 | Strong wind (very high) |
| 6 | Washtenaw County | Relatively moderate 89.3 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 7 | Saginaw County | Relatively moderate 88.5 | Winter weather (very high) |
| 8 | Ingham County | Relatively moderate 87.2 | Strong wind (very high) |
| 9 | Ottawa County | Relatively moderate 82.9 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 10 | Monroe County | Relatively moderate 82.5 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 11 | St. Clair County | Relatively moderate 82 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 12 | Berrien County | Relatively moderate 81.7 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 13 | Kalamazoo County | Relatively moderate 81.7 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 14 | Bay County | Relatively low 78.2 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 15 | Jackson County | Relatively low 76.5 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 16 | Calhoun County | Relatively low 74.5 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 17 | Livingston County | Relatively low 73.5 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 18 | Tuscola County | Relatively low 73.1 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 19 | Midland County | Relatively low 71.9 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 20 | Sanilac County | Relatively low 70.3 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 21 | Muskegon County | Relatively low 70.1 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 22 | Lenawee County | Relatively low 69.9 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 23 | Marquette County | Relatively low 69.8 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 24 | Mecosta County | Relatively low 69.8 | Strong wind (very high) |
| 25 | Allegan County | Relatively low 68.5 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 26 | Eaton County | Relatively low 67.6 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 27 | Lapeer County | Relatively low 66.4 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 28 | Isabella County | Relatively low 66.1 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 29 | Grand Traverse County | Relatively low 65.6 | Winter weather (very high) |
| 30 | Shiawassee County | Relatively low 62.2 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 31 | Van Buren County | Relatively low 60.5 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 32 | Cheboygan County | Relatively low 59.5 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 33 | Dickinson County | Relatively low 59.3 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 34 | Huron County | Relatively low 59 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 35 | St. Joseph County | Relatively low 58.6 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 36 | Montcalm County | Relatively low 56.9 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 37 | Roscommon County | Relatively low 56.7 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 38 | Ionia County | Relatively low 55.9 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 39 | Iron County | Relatively low 55.1 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 40 | Gratiot County | Relatively low 54.1 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 41 | Delta County | Relatively low 53.1 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 42 | Branch County | Relatively low 51.8 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 43 | Hillsdale County | Relatively low 50 | Tornado (relatively moderate) |
| 44 | Leelanau County | Relatively low 48.3 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 45 | Cass County | Relatively low 47.7 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 46 | Clare County | Relatively low 47.5 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 47 | Newaygo County | Relatively low 47.1 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 48 | Clinton County | Relatively low 47 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 49 | Barry County | Relatively low 46 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 50 | Menominee County | Relatively low 44.4 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 51 | Gladwin County | Very low 40.3 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 52 | Emmet County | Very low 38.1 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 53 | Iosco County | Very low 37.8 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 54 | Manistee County | Very low 37.2 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 55 | Ogemaw County | Very low 37 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 56 | Wexford County | Very low 33.9 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 57 | Oceana County | Very low 33.7 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 58 | Alpena County | Very low 28.3 | Cold wave (relatively low) |
| 59 | Chippewa County | Very low 26.3 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
| 60 | Antrim County | Very low 25.8 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 61 | Gogebic County | Very low 25.6 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 62 | Mason County | Very low 25.3 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 63 | Houghton County | Very low 24.3 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 64 | Osceola County | Very low 23.9 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 65 | Benzie County | Very low 22.7 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 66 | Charlevoix County | Very low 22.3 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 67 | Lake County | Very low 22 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 68 | Presque Isle County | Very low 21.8 | Lightning (relatively moderate) |
| 69 | Kalkaska County | Very low 21.3 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 70 | Arenac County | Very low 20.3 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 71 | Otsego County | Very low 18.4 | Lightning (relatively moderate) |
| 72 | Crawford County | Very low 18 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 73 | Alcona County | Very low 17.7 | Lightning (relatively moderate) |
| 74 | Montmorency County | Very low 15.9 | Lightning (relatively moderate) |
| 75 | Oscoda County | Very low 15.1 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 76 | Missaukee County | Very low 11.1 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 77 | Baraga County | Very low 10.7 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 78 | Alger County | Very low 9.6 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 79 | Mackinac County | Very low 9.1 | Cold wave (relatively low) |
| 80 | Schoolcraft County | Very low 6.7 | Lightning (relatively low) |
| 81 | Ontonagon County | Very low 4.2 | Winter weather (relatively low) |
| 82 | Luce County | Very low 2.6 | Lightning (relatively low) |
| 83 | Keweenaw County | Very low 0.7 | Winter weather (relatively low) |
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
Which county in Michigan has the highest natural disaster risk?
Wayne County has the highest composite risk score in Michigan in FEMA's National Risk Index: 99.0, rated relatively high.
Which county in Michigan has the lowest natural disaster risk?
Keweenaw County has the lowest composite risk score in Michigan: 0.7, rated very low. A low score means lower modelled risk compared with other US counties, not no risk.
What natural disasters is Michigan most at risk from?
Across Michigan, the hazards rated highest in the most counties are strong wind, winter weather, cold wave, according to FEMA's National Risk Index. Each county page lists all 18 hazards.
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