Natural disaster risk in North Carolina, by county

All 100 counties in North Carolina, 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
5
Relatively high risk
26
Relatively moderate risk
52
Relatively low risk
17
Very low risk

Highest overall risk: Mecklenburg County (relatively high, score 97.1). Lowest: Camden County (very low, score 2.5).

Top hazards in North Carolina

HazardCounties rated relatively high or very highAverage score
Ice storm35 of 10068.5
Lightning30 of 10065.2
Winter weather28 of 10064.1
Hurricane23 of 10079.5
Strong wind15 of 10057.8

All counties, highest risk first

#CountyOverall riskHighest-rated hazard
1 Mecklenburg County Relatively high 97.1 Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively high)
2 New Hanover County Relatively high 96.1 Hurricane (very high)
3 Brunswick County Relatively high 95.8 Hurricane (very high)
4 Wake County Relatively high 95.5 Hail (relatively high)
5 Onslow County Relatively high 95 Hurricane (very high)
6 Craven County Relatively moderate 93.6 Hurricane (very high)
7 Carteret County Relatively moderate 93.5 Hurricane (very high)
8 Guilford County Relatively moderate 93.4 Ice storm (very high)
9 Forsyth County Relatively moderate 91.5 Ice storm (very high)
10 Robeson County Relatively moderate 91.1 Strong wind (very high)
11 Wayne County Relatively moderate 90.4 Winter weather (very high)
12 Sampson County Relatively moderate 90.2 Hurricane (relatively high)
13 Pitt County Relatively moderate 89.8 Winter weather (very high)
14 Dare County Relatively moderate 89.6 Hurricane (relatively high)
15 Durham County Relatively moderate 89.6 Tornado (relatively high)
16 Cumberland County Relatively moderate 89.5 Winter weather (very high)
17 Duplin County Relatively moderate 89.4 Hurricane (relatively high)
18 Buncombe County Relatively moderate 89.3 Lightning (very high)
19 Union County Relatively moderate 89.1 Ice storm (very high)
20 Beaufort County Relatively moderate 88.2 Hurricane (relatively high)
21 Davidson County Relatively moderate 87.2 Ice storm (very high)
22 Cabarrus County Relatively moderate 87.1 Ice storm (very high)
23 Columbus County Relatively moderate 86.9 Strong wind (very high)
24 Pender County Relatively moderate 86.9 Hurricane (relatively high)
25 Johnston County Relatively moderate 85.6 Winter weather (very high)
26 Gaston County Relatively moderate 84.9 Ice storm (very high)
27 Bladen County Relatively moderate 84.6 Hurricane (relatively high)
28 Lenoir County Relatively moderate 84.6 Winter weather (relatively high)
29 Henderson County Relatively moderate 83.8 Ice storm (very high)
30 Rowan County Relatively moderate 82.9 Cold wave (relatively high)
31 Wilkes County Relatively moderate 82.6 Ice storm (relatively high)
32 Iredell County Relatively low 80.8 Ice storm (relatively high)
33 Catawba County Relatively low 80.6 Ice storm (very high)
34 Nash County Relatively low 80.6 Winter weather (very high)
35 Randolph County Relatively low 80.6 Ice storm (relatively high)
36 Jackson County Relatively low 80.5 Cold wave (relatively high)
37 Orange County Relatively low 79.1 Winter weather (relatively high)
38 Haywood County Relatively low 77.2 Landslide (relatively high)
39 Alamance County Relatively low 77.1 Winter weather (relatively high)
40 Edgecombe County Relatively low 76.4 Strong wind (relatively high)
41 Wilson County Relatively low 76.3 Winter weather (relatively high)
42 Moore County Relatively low 75.6 Ice storm (relatively high)
43 Harnett County Relatively low 75.3 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
44 Lincoln County Relatively low 73.8 Ice storm (relatively high)
45 Macon County Relatively low 73.8 Landslide (relatively high)
46 Surry County Relatively low 73.6 Cold wave (relatively high)
47 Halifax County Relatively low 72.9 Winter weather (relatively high)
48 Rutherford County Relatively low 72.7 Strong wind (relatively high)
49 Pamlico County Relatively low 72.4 Hurricane (relatively high)
50 Rockingham County Relatively low 71.9 Ice storm (relatively moderate)
51 Watauga County Relatively low 71.9 Landslide (relatively high)
52 Burke County Relatively low 70.2 Ice storm (relatively high)
53 Cleveland County Relatively low 70 Ice storm (relatively high)
54 Hertford County Relatively low 68.2 Hurricane (relatively high)
55 Lee County Relatively low 67.5 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
56 Caldwell County Relatively low 67.4 Ice storm (relatively high)
57 Chatham County Relatively low 67.2 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
58 Ashe County Relatively low 66.8 Landslide (relatively moderate)
59 Bertie County Relatively low 66.4 Hurricane (relatively high)
60 Hyde County Relatively low 66.4 Hurricane (relatively high)
61 Martin County Relatively low 65.5 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
62 Jones County Relatively low 64.5 Hurricane (relatively high)
63 Transylvania County Relatively low 64.2 Cold wave (relatively high)
64 Scotland County Relatively low 63.6 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
65 Greene County Relatively low 62.6 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
66 Richmond County Relatively low 60.8 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
67 Washington County Relatively low 59.6 Hurricane (relatively high)
68 Granville County Relatively low 59.4 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
69 McDowell County Relatively low 59.2 Ice storm (relatively high)
70 Stanly County Relatively low 58.8 Ice storm (relatively high)
71 Pasquotank County Relatively low 58.7 Winter weather (relatively high)
72 Cherokee County Relatively low 56.7 Landslide (relatively moderate)
73 Franklin County Relatively low 51.7 Winter weather (relatively high)
74 Warren County Relatively low 50.8 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
75 Hoke County Relatively low 50.1 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
76 Anson County Relatively low 50 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
77 Swain County Relatively low 49.1 Landslide (relatively moderate)
78 Montgomery County Relatively low 49 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
79 Vance County Relatively low 48.4 Winter weather (relatively moderate)
80 Avery County Relatively low 47.5 Landslide (relatively moderate)
81 Tyrrell County Relatively low 46 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
82 Alexander County Relatively low 45.8 Ice storm (relatively high)
83 Northampton County Relatively low 44.2 Drought (relatively moderate)
84 Yancey County Very low 42.2 Lightning (relatively high)
85 Davie County Very low 41.7 Ice storm (relatively high)
86 Person County Very low 41.5 Drought (relatively moderate)
87 Stokes County Very low 39.7 Ice storm (relatively moderate)
88 Yadkin County Very low 38.4 Ice storm (relatively moderate)
89 Perquimans County Very low 37.7 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
90 Polk County Very low 36.9 Landslide (relatively high)
91 Alleghany County Very low 34.7 Landslide (relatively moderate)
92 Chowan County Very low 34.3 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
93 Madison County Very low 27.4 Landslide (relatively moderate)
94 Clay County Very low 26.9 Landslide (relatively moderate)
95 Mitchell County Very low 24 Lightning (relatively high)
96 Caswell County Very low 22.4 Drought (relatively moderate)
97 Graham County Very low 20.1 Landslide (relatively moderate)
98 Currituck County Very low 18.1 Winter weather (relatively moderate)
99 Gates County Very low 10.5 Strong wind (relatively moderate)
100 Camden County Very low 2.5 Hurricane (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 North Carolina has the highest natural disaster risk?

Mecklenburg County has the highest composite risk score in North Carolina in FEMA's National Risk Index: 97.1, rated relatively high.

Which county in North Carolina has the lowest natural disaster risk?

Camden County has the lowest composite risk score in North Carolina: 2.5, rated very low. A low score means lower modelled risk compared with other US counties, not no risk.

What natural disasters is North Carolina most at risk from?

Across North Carolina, the hazards rated highest in the most counties are ice storm, lightning, winter weather, according to FEMA's National Risk Index. Each county page lists all 18 hazards.

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