Natural disaster risk in Marion County, Oregon

Oregon · population 344,064 · FIPS 41047

Overall: relatively high risk

Marion County has a composite risk score of 95.5 out of 100 — higher than 95% of US counties. It ranks 4 of 36 in Oregon (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are earthquake, strong wind, lightning.

Drought now: Yes: D2 Severe Drought, 11 weeks

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 36.67% of Marion County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 11 weeks in a row. In all, 99.41% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).

Drought in Marion County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu

The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.

Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience

MeasureRating and score
Overall risk
Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience.
Relatively high 95.5
Expected annual loss
About $171.1 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively moderate 94.9
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively moderate 51
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Relatively moderate 41.6

Risk by hazard

FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Marion County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.

HazardRisk rating and score
Earthquake Relatively high 99
Strong wind Relatively high 89
Lightning Relatively high 88
Heat wave Relatively moderate 95
Volcanic activity Relatively moderate 92
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively moderate 90
Winter weather Relatively moderate 78
Ice storm Relatively moderate 73
Landslide Relatively low 83
Cold wave Relatively low 51
Hail Relatively low 41
Wildfire Very low 59
Avalanche Very low 33
Tornado Very low 22
Drought Very low 16
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Hurricane Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Marion County

Federal declarations that designated Marion County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.

Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Marion County.

All FEMA declarations in Oregon, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.

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

What is the natural disaster risk in Marion County, Oregon?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Marion County as relatively high, with a score of 95.5 out of 100 (higher than 95% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Marion County?

The hazards rated highest for Marion County are earthquake (relatively high), strong wind (relatively high), lightning (relatively high).

What is the flood risk in Marion County?

FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Marion County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.

Has Marion County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Not since 1 Jan 2024: no FEMA disaster declaration in the records this site read names Marion County.

Is Marion County in a drought?

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 36.67% of Marion County is in D2 Severe Drought. Some of it has been at D2 or worse for 11 weeks in a row. In all, 99.41% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).

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