Natural disaster risk in Nebraska, by county
All 93 counties in Nebraska, 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
1
Relatively high risk
2
Relatively moderate risk
16
Relatively low risk
74
Very low risk
Highest overall risk: Douglas County (relatively high, score 95.9). Lowest: McPherson County (very low, score 0.1).
Top hazards in Nebraska
| Hazard | Counties rated relatively high or very high | Average score |
|---|---|---|
| Hail | 30 of 93 | 76.3 |
| Strong wind | 18 of 93 | 48.8 |
| Drought | 13 of 93 | 73.8 |
| Winter weather | 9 of 93 | 47.2 |
| Ice storm | 8 of 93 | 45.7 |
All counties, highest risk first
| # | County | Overall risk | Highest-rated hazard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Douglas County | Relatively high 95.9 | Hail (very high) |
| 2 | Lancaster County | Relatively moderate 90.7 | Strong wind (very high) |
| 3 | Sarpy County | Relatively moderate 83.6 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 4 | Hall County | Relatively low 74.2 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 5 | Platte County | Relatively low 70.6 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 6 | Dodge County | Relatively low 67.4 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 7 | Buffalo County | Relatively low 66 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 8 | Dawson County | Relatively low 65.3 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 9 | Adams County | Relatively low 64.3 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 10 | Scotts Bluff County | Relatively low 63.8 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 11 | Madison County | Relatively low 60.9 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 12 | Cuming County | Relatively low 57.3 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 13 | Clay County | Relatively low 56 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 14 | Webster County | Relatively low 55.5 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 15 | York County | Relatively low 52.3 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 16 | Furnas County | Relatively low 51.9 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 17 | Lincoln County | Relatively low 48.6 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 18 | Boone County | Relatively low 43.4 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 19 | Merrick County | Relatively low 42.9 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 20 | Hamilton County | Very low 42.6 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 21 | Saline County | Very low 42.4 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 22 | Gage County | Very low 40.6 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 23 | Phelps County | Very low 39.2 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 24 | Thayer County | Very low 38.4 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 25 | Dakota County | Very low 36 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 26 | Franklin County | Very low 32.2 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 27 | Harlan County | Very low 32 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 28 | Cass County | Very low 31 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 29 | Kearney County | Very low 30.9 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 30 | Knox County | Very low 29.7 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 31 | Saunders County | Very low 29.1 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 32 | Colfax County | Very low 28.6 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 33 | Custer County | Very low 28 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 34 | Cheyenne County | Very low 27.8 | Drought (relatively high) |
| 35 | Morrill County | Very low 27.8 | Drought (relatively high) |
| 36 | Thurston County | Very low 26.4 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 37 | Valley County | Very low 26 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 38 | Polk County | Very low 25.7 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 39 | Washington County | Very low 25.5 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 40 | Seward County | Very low 24.9 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 41 | Butler County | Very low 24.5 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 42 | Howard County | Very low 24.2 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 43 | Jefferson County | Very low 24.1 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 44 | Nuckolls County | Very low 22.5 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 45 | Sherman County | Very low 22.4 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 46 | Cedar County | Very low 21.7 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 47 | Nance County | Very low 21.7 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 48 | Box Butte County | Very low 21 | Drought (relatively high) |
| 49 | Burt County | Very low 20.7 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 50 | Red Willow County | Very low 20.3 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 51 | Fillmore County | Very low 20.1 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 52 | Antelope County | Very low 19.5 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 53 | Otoe County | Very low 18 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 54 | Holt County | Very low 17.2 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 55 | Stanton County | Very low 16.2 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 56 | Pierce County | Very low 14.2 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 57 | Wayne County | Very low 14 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 58 | Keith County | Very low 13.8 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 59 | Richardson County | Very low 13.8 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 60 | Frontier County | Very low 13.7 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 61 | Cherry County | Very low 13.6 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 62 | Nemaha County | Very low 13.4 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 63 | Sheridan County | Very low 13.4 | Wildfire (relatively moderate) |
| 64 | Greeley County | Very low 12.7 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 65 | Gosper County | Very low 9.8 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 66 | Dixon County | Very low 8.8 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 67 | Kimball County | Very low 7.6 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 68 | Hitchcock County | Very low 6.8 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 69 | Chase County | Very low 6.7 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 70 | Dawes County | Very low 5.6 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 71 | Wheeler County | Very low 5.5 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 72 | Johnson County | Very low 4.6 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
| 73 | Perkins County | Very low 4.4 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 74 | Deuel County | Very low 4 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 75 | Pawnee County | Very low 3.8 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
| 76 | Boyd County | Very low 3.4 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 77 | Garden County | Very low 2.8 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 78 | Brown County | Very low 2.4 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 79 | Dundy County | Very low 2.2 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 80 | Keya Paha County | Very low 1.5 | Drought (relatively low) |
| 81 | Sioux County | Very low 1.4 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 82 | Garfield County | Very low 1.3 | Drought (relatively low) |
| 83 | Hayes County | Very low 1.2 | Hail (relatively low) |
| 84 | Banner County | Very low 0.8 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 85 | Rock County | Very low 0.7 | Drought (relatively low) |
| 86 | Blaine County | Very low 0.4 | Drought (relatively low) |
| 87 | Arthur County | Very low 0.3 | Drought (relatively low) |
| 88 | Hooker County | Very low 0.3 | Drought (relatively low) |
| 89 | Loup County | Very low 0.3 | Hail (relatively low) |
| 90 | Grant County | Very low 0.2 | Drought (relatively low) |
| 91 | Logan County | Very low 0.2 | Drought (relatively low) |
| 92 | Thomas County | Very low 0.2 | Drought (relatively low) |
| 93 | McPherson County | Very low 0.1 | 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 Nebraska has the highest natural disaster risk?
Douglas County has the highest composite risk score in Nebraska in FEMA's National Risk Index: 95.9, rated relatively high.
Which county in Nebraska has the lowest natural disaster risk?
McPherson County has the lowest composite risk score in Nebraska: 0.1, rated very low. A low score means lower modelled risk compared with other US counties, not no risk.
What natural disasters is Nebraska most at risk from?
Across Nebraska, the hazards rated highest in the most counties are hail, strong wind, drought, according to FEMA's National Risk Index. Each county page lists all 18 hazards.
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