Natural disaster risk in Ohio, by county
All 88 counties in Ohio, 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
8
Relatively moderate risk
51
Relatively low risk
26
Very low risk
Highest overall risk: Franklin County (relatively high, score 98.1). Lowest: Harrison County (very low, score 11.4).
Top hazards in Ohio
| Hazard | Counties rated relatively high or very high | Average score |
|---|---|---|
| Ice storm | 22 of 88 | 70.8 |
| Strong wind | 19 of 88 | 61.6 |
| Winter weather | 19 of 88 | 59.5 |
| Lightning | 17 of 88 | 60.8 |
| Tornado | 10 of 88 | 59.8 |
All counties, highest risk first
| # | County | Overall risk | Highest-rated hazard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Franklin County | Relatively high 98.1 | Cold wave (very high) |
| 2 | Cuyahoga County | Relatively high 98 | Cold wave (very high) |
| 3 | Hamilton County | Relatively high 96.3 | Tornado (very high) |
| 4 | Montgomery County | Relatively moderate 92.7 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 5 | Lucas County | Relatively moderate 92.4 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 6 | Butler County | Relatively moderate 91.5 | Tornado (relatively high) |
| 7 | Summit County | Relatively moderate 91.2 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 8 | Stark County | Relatively moderate 87.9 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 9 | Lorain County | Relatively moderate 86.3 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 10 | Trumbull County | Relatively moderate 84.5 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 11 | Mahoning County | Relatively moderate 83.6 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 12 | Licking County | Relatively low 78.9 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 13 | Delaware County | Relatively low 78.8 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 14 | Clermont County | Relatively low 77.9 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 15 | Warren County | Relatively low 77.8 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 16 | Lake County | Relatively low 77.4 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 17 | Clark County | Relatively low 77.1 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 18 | Greene County | Relatively low 75.7 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 19 | Belmont County | Relatively low 75.2 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 20 | Allen County | Relatively low 73.3 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 21 | Fairfield County | Relatively low 72.6 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 22 | Lawrence County | Relatively low 71 | Heat wave (relatively moderate) |
| 23 | Muskingum County | Relatively low 70.9 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 24 | Scioto County | Relatively low 70.2 | Heat wave (relatively moderate) |
| 25 | Columbiana County | Relatively low 69.1 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 26 | Medina County | Relatively low 69 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 27 | Tuscarawas County | Relatively low 69 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 28 | Athens County | Relatively low 68.7 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 29 | Jefferson County | Relatively low 66.7 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 30 | Wood County | Relatively low 65.7 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 31 | Portage County | Relatively low 65.1 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 32 | Wayne County | Relatively low 64.9 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 33 | Washington County | Relatively low 64.4 | Landslide (relatively moderate) |
| 34 | Ross County | Relatively low 62.9 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 35 | Ashtabula County | Relatively low 62.6 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 36 | Brown County | Relatively low 62.6 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 37 | Erie County | Relatively low 61.4 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 38 | Miami County | Relatively low 61.4 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 39 | Richland County | Relatively low 61.3 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 40 | Marion County | Relatively low 61.1 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 41 | Knox County | Relatively low 61 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 42 | Holmes County | Relatively low 60.4 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 43 | Geauga County | Relatively low 60.3 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 44 | Ottawa County | Relatively low 59.2 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 45 | Sandusky County | Relatively low 56.7 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 46 | Shelby County | Relatively low 56.2 | Lightning (relatively moderate) |
| 47 | Hancock County | Relatively low 54.1 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 48 | Logan County | Relatively low 53.2 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 49 | Meigs County | Relatively low 53 | Landslide (relatively moderate) |
| 50 | Darke County | Relatively low 52.7 | Tornado (relatively moderate) |
| 51 | Pickaway County | Relatively low 50.9 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 52 | Huron County | Relatively low 50.3 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 53 | Coshocton County | Relatively low 49.1 | Landslide (relatively moderate) |
| 54 | Gallia County | Relatively low 48.3 | Landslide (relatively moderate) |
| 55 | Hocking County | Relatively low 47.3 | Lightning (relatively moderate) |
| 56 | Seneca County | Relatively low 46.9 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 57 | Ashland County | Relatively low 46.3 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 58 | Williams County | Relatively low 44.4 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 59 | Adams County | Relatively low 43.8 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 60 | Preble County | Relatively low 43.3 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 61 | Highland County | Relatively low 43.2 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 62 | Pike County | Relatively low 43.1 | Landslide (relatively low) |
| 63 | Defiance County | Very low 41.9 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 64 | Auglaize County | Very low 41.8 | Earthquake (relatively low) |
| 65 | Guernsey County | Very low 37.5 | Lightning (relatively moderate) |
| 66 | Jackson County | Very low 35.8 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 67 | Crawford County | Very low 35.2 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 68 | Clinton County | Very low 34 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 69 | Henry County | Very low 33.8 | Hail (relatively low) |
| 70 | Fulton County | Very low 33.6 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 71 | Putnam County | Very low 32.9 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 72 | Union County | Very low 32.7 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 73 | Mercer County | Very low 31.6 | Tornado (relatively moderate) |
| 74 | Monroe County | Very low 27.3 | Landslide (relatively moderate) |
| 75 | Champaign County | Very low 26.7 | Ice storm (relatively low) |
| 76 | Perry County | Very low 26 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 77 | Fayette County | Very low 25.9 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 78 | Madison County | Very low 24.9 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 79 | Hardin County | Very low 24.4 | Lightning (relatively moderate) |
| 80 | Morrow County | Very low 24.4 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 81 | Paulding County | Very low 21.2 | Hail (relatively low) |
| 82 | Van Wert County | Very low 20.1 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 83 | Carroll County | Very low 19.9 | Lightning (relatively moderate) |
| 84 | Morgan County | Very low 18.2 | Landslide (relatively low) |
| 85 | Wyandot County | Very low 17.4 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 86 | Noble County | Very low 13.5 | Landslide (relatively low) |
| 87 | Vinton County | Very low 11.8 | Landslide (relatively low) |
| 88 | Harrison County | Very low 11.4 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
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 Ohio has the highest natural disaster risk?
Franklin County has the highest composite risk score in Ohio in FEMA's National Risk Index: 98.1, rated relatively high.
Which county in Ohio has the lowest natural disaster risk?
Harrison County has the lowest composite risk score in Ohio: 11.4, rated very low. A low score means lower modelled risk compared with other US counties, not no risk.
What natural disasters is Ohio most at risk from?
Across Ohio, the hazards rated highest in the most counties are ice storm, strong wind, winter weather, according to FEMA's National Risk Index. Each county page lists all 18 hazards.
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