Natural disaster risk in Pennsylvania, by county
All 67 counties in Pennsylvania, ranked by FEMA's National Risk Index composite risk score, with each one's highest-rated hazard. Other states
At a glance
1
Very high risk
4
Relatively high risk
16
Relatively moderate risk
38
Relatively low risk
8
Very low risk
Highest overall risk: Philadelphia County (very high, score 99.6). Lowest: Fulton County (very low, score 7.8).
Top hazards in Pennsylvania
| Hazard | Counties rated relatively high or very high | Average score |
|---|---|---|
| Lightning | 31 of 67 | 71.4 |
| Winter weather | 25 of 67 | 69.1 |
| Strong wind | 20 of 67 | 67.3 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | 15 of 67 | 79.1 |
| Cold wave | 11 of 67 | 42.8 |
All counties, highest risk first
| # | County | Overall risk | Highest-rated hazard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia County | Very high 99.6 | Cold wave (very high) |
| 2 | Allegheny County | Relatively high 98.1 | Inland (riverine) flooding (very high) |
| 3 | Montgomery County | Relatively high 96.8 | Strong wind (very high) |
| 4 | Lancaster County | Relatively high 95 | Winter weather (very high) |
| 5 | Bucks County | Relatively high 94.8 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 6 | Lehigh County | Relatively moderate 93.9 | Cold wave (very high) |
| 7 | Delaware County | Relatively moderate 92.9 | Winter weather (very high) |
| 8 | Berks County | Relatively moderate 92.7 | Winter weather (very high) |
| 9 | Chester County | Relatively moderate 91.9 | Winter weather (very high) |
| 10 | Luzerne County | Relatively moderate 91.6 | Winter weather (very high) |
| 11 | Dauphin County | Relatively moderate 91.1 | Winter weather (very high) |
| 12 | York County | Relatively moderate 90.4 | Winter weather (very high) |
| 13 | Northampton County | Relatively moderate 90 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 14 | Lackawanna County | Relatively moderate 89.9 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively high) |
| 15 | Westmoreland County | Relatively moderate 87.8 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 16 | Cumberland County | Relatively moderate 86.2 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 17 | Schuylkill County | Relatively moderate 85.3 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 18 | Monroe County | Relatively moderate 85.1 | Lightning (very high) |
| 19 | Erie County | Relatively moderate 84.1 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 20 | Washington County | Relatively moderate 83.1 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 21 | Fayette County | Relatively moderate 82.2 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 22 | Lebanon County | Relatively low 79.9 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 23 | Lycoming County | Relatively low 79.6 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 24 | Butler County | Relatively low 79.3 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 25 | Northumberland County | Relatively low 79.2 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 26 | Blair County | Relatively low 77.7 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 27 | Mercer County | Relatively low 77.7 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 28 | Cambria County | Relatively low 76.4 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 29 | Franklin County | Relatively low 76.4 | Hurricane (relatively moderate) |
| 30 | Crawford County | Relatively low 76 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 31 | Beaver County | Relatively low 75.3 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 32 | Bradford County | Relatively low 73.1 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 33 | Armstrong County | Relatively low 69.3 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 34 | Mifflin County | Relatively low 69.3 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 35 | Bedford County | Relatively low 68.2 | Landslide (relatively moderate) |
| 36 | Centre County | Relatively low 68 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 37 | Adams County | Relatively low 67.5 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 38 | Clearfield County | Relatively low 67.1 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 39 | Lawrence County | Relatively low 66.1 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 40 | Pike County | Relatively low 65.9 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 41 | Warren County | Relatively low 65.6 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 42 | Somerset County | Relatively low 64.2 | Lightning (relatively moderate) |
| 43 | Indiana County | Relatively low 63.7 | Landslide (relatively high) |
| 44 | Columbia County | Relatively low 62.1 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 45 | Tioga County | Relatively low 59.8 | Inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate) |
| 46 | Carbon County | Relatively low 59.4 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 47 | Jefferson County | Relatively low 57.9 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 48 | Wayne County | Relatively low 56.3 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 49 | Venango County | Relatively low 55.6 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 50 | Union County | Relatively low 55.2 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 51 | Greene County | Relatively low 55.1 | Landslide (relatively moderate) |
| 52 | Snyder County | Relatively low 54.3 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 53 | McKean County | Relatively low 53.8 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 54 | Susquehanna County | Relatively low 53.6 | Landslide (relatively low) |
| 55 | Perry County | Relatively low 53.1 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 56 | Clinton County | Relatively low 51.8 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 57 | Huntingdon County | Relatively low 50.3 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 58 | Elk County | Relatively low 45.2 | Lightning (relatively moderate) |
| 59 | Wyoming County | Relatively low 44.8 | Landslide (relatively low) |
| 60 | Juniata County | Very low 38.8 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 61 | Clarion County | Very low 30 | Lightning (relatively moderate) |
| 62 | Potter County | Very low 28.1 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 63 | Forest County | Very low 19.9 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 64 | Montour County | Very low 14.7 | Hurricane (relatively low) |
| 65 | Cameron County | Very low 12.6 | Landslide (relatively low) |
| 66 | Sullivan County | Very low 10.7 | Landslide (relatively low) |
| 67 | Fulton County | Very low 7.8 | Landslide (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 Pennsylvania has the highest natural disaster risk?
Philadelphia County has the highest composite risk score in Pennsylvania in FEMA's National Risk Index: 99.6, rated very high.
Which county in Pennsylvania has the lowest natural disaster risk?
Fulton County has the lowest composite risk score in Pennsylvania: 7.8, rated very low. A low score means lower modelled risk compared with other US counties, not no risk.
What natural disasters is Pennsylvania most at risk from?
Across Pennsylvania, the hazards rated highest in the most counties are lightning, winter weather, strong wind, according to FEMA's National Risk Index. Each county page lists all 18 hazards.
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