Natural disaster risk in Minnesota, by county
All 87 counties in Minnesota, 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
2
Relatively high risk
6
Relatively moderate risk
36
Relatively low risk
43
Very low risk
Highest overall risk: Hennepin County (relatively high, score 98.3). Lowest: Red Lake County (very low, score 2.2).
Top hazards in Minnesota
| Hazard | Counties rated relatively high or very high | Average score |
|---|---|---|
| Strong wind | 17 of 87 | 56.0 |
| Winter weather | 14 of 87 | 64.0 |
| Cold wave | 12 of 87 | 65.0 |
| Hail | 7 of 87 | 65.2 |
| Lightning | 7 of 87 | 32.3 |
All counties, highest risk first
| # | County | Overall risk | Highest-rated hazard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hennepin County | Relatively high 98.3 | Cold wave (very high) |
| 2 | Ramsey County | Relatively high 94.6 | Cold wave (very high) |
| 3 | St. Louis County | Relatively moderate 91.6 | Cold wave (very high) |
| 4 | Dakota County | Relatively moderate 89.5 | Strong wind (very high) |
| 5 | Anoka County | Relatively moderate 88 | Strong wind (very high) |
| 6 | Stearns County | Relatively moderate 87.6 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 7 | Washington County | Relatively moderate 83.9 | Strong wind (very high) |
| 8 | Olmsted County | Relatively moderate 82.3 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 9 | Otter Tail County | Relatively low 79.4 | Winter weather (very high) |
| 10 | Crow Wing County | Relatively low 77.5 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 11 | Itasca County | Relatively low 76.7 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 12 | Scott County | Relatively low 76.6 | Strong wind (very high) |
| 13 | Rice County | Relatively low 75.4 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 14 | Clay County | Relatively low 73.7 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 15 | Blue Earth County | Relatively low 72.2 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 16 | Carlton County | Relatively low 70.1 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 17 | Winona County | Relatively low 69.5 | Landslide (relatively moderate) |
| 18 | Wright County | Relatively low 68.4 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 19 | Mower County | Relatively low 67.3 | Drought (relatively high) |
| 20 | Polk County | Relatively low 67 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 21 | Morrison County | Relatively low 66.9 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 22 | Pine County | Relatively low 62.2 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 23 | Beltrami County | Relatively low 60.6 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 24 | Carver County | Relatively low 59.7 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 25 | Aitkin County | Relatively low 56.6 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 26 | Sherburne County | Relatively low 53.6 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 27 | Cass County | Relatively low 53.5 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 28 | Kandiyohi County | Relatively low 51.4 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 29 | Benton County | Relatively low 51.3 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 30 | Freeborn County | Relatively low 51 | Drought (relatively high) |
| 31 | Brown County | Relatively low 50.4 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 32 | Nobles County | Relatively low 50.2 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 33 | Fillmore County | Relatively low 49.8 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 34 | Pennington County | Relatively low 47 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 35 | McLeod County | Relatively low 46.6 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 36 | Faribault County | Relatively low 45.5 | Drought (relatively high) |
| 37 | Martin County | Relatively low 45.5 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 38 | Wabasha County | Relatively low 45.5 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 39 | Nicollet County | Relatively low 45.4 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 40 | Chisago County | Relatively low 44.5 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 41 | Douglas County | Relatively low 44.3 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 42 | Roseau County | Relatively low 43.9 | Wildfire (relatively moderate) |
| 43 | Lyon County | Relatively low 43.5 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 44 | Goodhue County | Relatively low 43.3 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 45 | Renville County | Very low 38.5 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 46 | Todd County | Very low 37.7 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 47 | Becker County | Very low 37.4 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 48 | Steele County | Very low 37.2 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 49 | Chippewa County | Very low 37 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 50 | Hubbard County | Very low 35.2 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 51 | Redwood County | Very low 35.1 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 52 | Lake County | Very low 33.9 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 53 | Koochiching County | Very low 31.5 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 54 | Yellow Medicine County | Very low 30 | Heat wave (relatively moderate) |
| 55 | Houston County | Very low 29.5 | Landslide (relatively moderate) |
| 56 | Mille Lacs County | Very low 28.5 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
| 57 | Cottonwood County | Very low 27.7 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 58 | Meeker County | Very low 27 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 59 | Isanti County | Very low 26.9 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
| 60 | Swift County | Very low 25.1 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 61 | Waseca County | Very low 24.7 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 62 | Watonwan County | Very low 23.9 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 63 | Marshall County | Very low 23.6 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 64 | Sibley County | Very low 23 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 65 | Le Sueur County | Very low 22.8 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 66 | Jackson County | Very low 22.4 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 67 | Kanabec County | Very low 21.3 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 68 | Pope County | Very low 20.5 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 69 | Murray County | Very low 19.8 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 70 | Lac qui Parle County | Very low 18.8 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 71 | Lincoln County | Very low 18.2 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 72 | Pipestone County | Very low 14.7 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 73 | Norman County | Very low 14.4 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 74 | Dodge County | Very low 14.2 | Drought (relatively low) |
| 75 | Wadena County | Very low 12.9 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 76 | Cook County | Very low 11.2 | Lightning (relatively moderate) |
| 77 | Rock County | Very low 9.4 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 78 | Big Stone County | Very low 8.5 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 79 | Mahnomen County | Very low 7.1 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 80 | Stevens County | Very low 7 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 81 | Traverse County | Very low 6.2 | Hail (relatively low) |
| 82 | Wilkin County | Very low 5.3 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 83 | Kittson County | Very low 4.8 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
| 84 | Clearwater County | Very low 4.2 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
| 85 | Lake of the Woods County | Very low 3.5 | Drought (relatively low) |
| 86 | Grant County | Very low 3 | Winter weather (relatively low) |
| 87 | Red Lake County | Very low 2.2 | Drought (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 Minnesota has the highest natural disaster risk?
Hennepin County has the highest composite risk score in Minnesota in FEMA's National Risk Index: 98.3, rated relatively high.
Which county in Minnesota has the lowest natural disaster risk?
Red Lake County has the lowest composite risk score in Minnesota: 2.2, rated very low. A low score means lower modelled risk compared with other US counties, not no risk.
What natural disasters is Minnesota most at risk from?
Across Minnesota, 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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