Natural disaster risk in Pierce County, Washington
Washington · population 920,483 · FIPS 53053
Overall: relatively high risk
Pierce County has a composite risk score of 98.5 out of 100 — higher than 98% of US counties. It ranks 2 of 39 in Washington (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are avalanche, earthquake, volcanic activity.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Pierce County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.
Drought in Pierce 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
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively high 98.5 |
| Expected annual loss About $531.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively high 99.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 14.4 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 60.1 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Pierce County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Avalanche | Very high 98 |
| Earthquake | Relatively high 99 |
| Volcanic activity | Relatively high 99 |
| Heat wave | Relatively high 97 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively high 96 |
| Cold wave | Relatively high 90 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 89 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 84 |
| Landslide | Relatively moderate 97 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 84 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively moderate 71 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 76 |
| Tsunami | Relatively low 49 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 41 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 41 |
| Hail | Very low 16 |
| Drought | Very low 12 |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Pierce County
Federal declarations that designated Pierce County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Pierce County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4906-WA (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides), declared 7 Apr 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4906-WA | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 7 Apr 2026 | Yes |
| EM-3629-WA | Emergency | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 12 Dec 2025 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Washington, 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 Pierce County, Washington?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Pierce County as relatively high, with a score of 98.5 out of 100 (higher than 98% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Pierce County?
The hazards rated highest for Pierce County are avalanche (very high), earthquake (relatively high), volcanic activity (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Pierce County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Pierce County as relatively high, and coastal flooding risk as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Pierce County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Pierce County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4906-WA (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides), declared 7 Apr 2026.
Is Pierce County in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Pierce County is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for at least 54 weeks in a row.
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