Natural disaster risk in South Dakota, by county
All 66 counties in South Dakota, 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
0
Relatively high risk
1
Relatively moderate risk
15
Relatively low risk
50
Very low risk
Highest overall risk: Minnehaha County (relatively moderate, score 89.5). Lowest: Jones County (very low, score 1.3).
Top hazards in South Dakota
| Hazard | Counties rated relatively high or very high | Average score |
|---|---|---|
| Winter weather | 13 of 66 | 67.2 |
| Ice storm | 6 of 66 | 54.1 |
| Cold wave | 5 of 66 | 61.3 |
| Drought | 2 of 66 | 48.2 |
| Tornado | 2 of 66 | 37.6 |
All counties, highest risk first
| # | County | Overall risk | Highest-rated hazard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnehaha County | Relatively moderate 89.5 | Ice storm (very high) |
| 2 | Dewey County | Relatively low 78.7 | Cold wave (very high) |
| 3 | Pennington County | Relatively low 78.6 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 4 | Brown County | Relatively low 73.5 | Winter weather (very high) |
| 5 | Yankton County | Relatively low 63.4 | Drought (relatively high) |
| 6 | Lincoln County | Relatively low 63 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 7 | Codington County | Relatively low 61.8 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 8 | Brule County | Relatively low 58.7 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 9 | Brookings County | Relatively low 50.1 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 10 | Oglala Lakota County | Relatively low 49.8 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 11 | Meade County | Relatively low 49.5 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 12 | Lawrence County | Relatively low 49.3 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 13 | Charles Mix County | Relatively low 48.5 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 14 | Hutchinson County | Relatively low 47.9 | Drought (relatively high) |
| 15 | Beadle County | Relatively low 47.1 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 16 | McCook County | Relatively low 43.4 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 17 | Walworth County | Very low 39.5 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 18 | Davison County | Very low 39.2 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 19 | Corson County | Very low 38.1 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 20 | Roberts County | Very low 37.8 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 21 | Union County | Very low 37.1 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 22 | Todd County | Very low 36.6 | Winter weather (relatively high) |
| 23 | Tripp County | Very low 36.5 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 24 | Lake County | Very low 32.6 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 25 | Fall River County | Very low 30.9 | Wildfire (relatively moderate) |
| 26 | Day County | Very low 27.6 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 27 | Moody County | Very low 26.9 | Ice storm (relatively high) |
| 28 | Lyman County | Very low 26.5 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 29 | Ziebach County | Very low 25.2 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 30 | Turner County | Very low 24 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 31 | Butte County | Very low 23.3 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 32 | Clay County | Very low 20.5 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 33 | Aurora County | Very low 19.6 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 34 | Grant County | Very low 18.9 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 35 | Spink County | Very low 17.7 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 36 | Hughes County | Very low 16.5 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 37 | Custer County | Very low 16.3 | Wildfire (relatively moderate) |
| 38 | Gregory County | Very low 16.2 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 39 | Hanson County | Very low 14.8 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 40 | Marshall County | Very low 14.5 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 41 | Buffalo County | Very low 13.7 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 42 | McPherson County | Very low 11.1 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 43 | Bon Homme County | Very low 10.8 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 44 | Douglas County | Very low 10.4 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 45 | Jackson County | Very low 10.2 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 46 | Hamlin County | Very low 10 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 47 | Potter County | Very low 10 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 48 | Haakon County | Very low 9.7 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
| 49 | Jerauld County | Very low 9.5 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 50 | Faulk County | Very low 8 | Hail (relatively low) |
| 51 | Kingsbury County | Very low 7.9 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 52 | Edmunds County | Very low 7 | Winter weather (relatively moderate) |
| 53 | Deuel County | Very low 6.9 | Ice storm (relatively moderate) |
| 54 | Hand County | Very low 6.5 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
| 55 | Hyde County | Very low 6.5 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
| 56 | Sully County | Very low 6.3 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
| 57 | Bennett County | Very low 5.9 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
| 58 | Mellette County | Very low 5.2 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
| 59 | Stanley County | Very low 5.1 | Winter weather (relatively low) |
| 60 | Clark County | Very low 4.5 | Cold wave (relatively low) |
| 61 | Campbell County | Very low 4.4 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
| 62 | Sanborn County | Very low 3.6 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
| 63 | Miner County | Very low 3.4 | Drought (relatively moderate) |
| 64 | Perkins County | Very low 2.6 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
| 65 | Harding County | Very low 1.5 | Wildfire (relatively low) |
| 66 | Jones County | Very low 1.3 | Wildfire (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 South Dakota has the highest natural disaster risk?
Minnehaha County has the highest composite risk score in South Dakota in FEMA's National Risk Index: 89.5, rated relatively moderate.
Which county in South Dakota has the lowest natural disaster risk?
Jones County has the lowest composite risk score in South Dakota: 1.3, rated very low. A low score means lower modelled risk compared with other US counties, not no risk.
What natural disasters is South Dakota most at risk from?
Across South Dakota, the hazards rated highest in the most counties are winter weather, ice storm, cold wave, according to FEMA's National Risk Index. Each county page lists all 18 hazards.
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