Natural disaster risk in Wisconsin, by county
All 72 counties in Wisconsin, 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
1
Relatively high risk
9
Relatively moderate risk
47
Relatively low risk
15
Very low risk
Highest overall risk: Milwaukee County (relatively high, score 98.4). Lowest: Pepin County (very low, score 7.2).
Top hazards in Wisconsin
| Hazard | Counties rated relatively high or very high | Average score |
|---|---|---|
| Cold wave | 33 of 72 | 85.3 |
| Lightning | 10 of 72 | 58.4 |
| Strong wind | 10 of 72 | 57.8 |
| Hail | 8 of 72 | 74.8 |
| Tornado | 8 of 72 | 61.8 |
All counties, highest risk first
| # | County | Overall risk | Highest-rated hazard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee County | Relatively high 98.4 | Cold wave (very high) |
| 2 | Dane County | Relatively moderate 93.9 | Cold wave (very high) |
| 3 | Brown County | Relatively moderate 90 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 4 | Waukesha County | Relatively moderate 88.9 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 5 | Marathon County | Relatively moderate 87.2 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 6 | Winnebago County | Relatively moderate 86.8 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 7 | Rock County | Relatively moderate 86.4 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 8 | Racine County | Relatively moderate 85.4 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 9 | Kenosha County | Relatively moderate 85 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 10 | Columbia County | Relatively moderate 81.4 | Hail (very high) |
| 11 | La Crosse County | Relatively low 80.5 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 12 | Marinette County | Relatively low 80 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 13 | Outagamie County | Relatively low 79.7 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 14 | Monroe County | Relatively low 78.8 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 15 | Eau Claire County | Relatively low 78.3 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 16 | Fond du Lac County | Relatively low 76.3 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 17 | Wood County | Relatively low 75.9 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 18 | Jefferson County | Relatively low 75.8 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 19 | Vernon County | Relatively low 75 | Landslide (relatively high) |
| 20 | Walworth County | Relatively low 74.8 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 21 | Sawyer County | Relatively low 74.5 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 22 | Sauk County | Relatively low 72.1 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 23 | Adams County | Relatively low 70.9 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 24 | Juneau County | Relatively low 70.8 | Heat wave (relatively moderate) |
| 25 | Sheboygan County | Relatively low 70.2 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 26 | Dodge County | Relatively low 69.9 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 27 | Manitowoc County | Relatively low 68.9 | Hail (relatively high) |
| 28 | Barron County | Relatively low 68.6 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 29 | Clark County | Relatively low 68.4 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 30 | Washington County | Relatively low 68.3 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 31 | Waupaca County | Relatively low 67.6 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 32 | Chippewa County | Relatively low 67.3 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 33 | St. Croix County | Relatively low 64.1 | Strong wind (relatively high) |
| 34 | Polk County | Relatively low 63.3 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 35 | Vilas County | Relatively low 63.3 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 36 | Shawano County | Relatively low 63.1 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 37 | Portage County | Relatively low 62.7 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 38 | Oneida County | Relatively low 62.5 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 39 | Douglas County | Relatively low 62.4 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 40 | Oconto County | Relatively low 61.5 | Lightning (relatively high) |
| 41 | Grant County | Relatively low 61.1 | Landslide (relatively moderate) |
| 42 | Trempealeau County | Relatively low 58.7 | Landslide (relatively moderate) |
| 43 | Green Lake County | Relatively low 58 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 44 | Florence County | Relatively low 54.2 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 45 | Lincoln County | Relatively low 52.6 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 46 | Richland County | Relatively low 51.6 | Landslide (relatively moderate) |
| 47 | Ozaukee County | Relatively low 50.3 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 48 | Langlade County | Relatively low 49.6 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 49 | Burnett County | Relatively low 49.3 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 50 | Dunn County | Relatively low 48.8 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 51 | Jackson County | Relatively low 48.1 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 52 | Marquette County | Relatively low 47.6 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 53 | Forest County | Relatively low 47.4 | Cold wave (relatively high) |
| 54 | Door County | Relatively low 46.9 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 55 | Green County | Relatively low 46.4 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 56 | Crawford County | Relatively low 46.2 | Landslide (relatively moderate) |
| 57 | Waushara County | Relatively low 43.3 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 58 | Pierce County | Very low 42.3 | Strong wind (relatively moderate) |
| 59 | Rusk County | Very low 37.3 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 60 | Taylor County | Very low 37.2 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 61 | Bayfield County | Very low 35.1 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 62 | Lafayette County | Very low 33.1 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 63 | Washburn County | Very low 32.8 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 64 | Price County | Very low 32.3 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 65 | Ashland County | Very low 31.7 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 66 | Calumet County | Very low 30.2 | Hail (relatively moderate) |
| 67 | Iowa County | Very low 23.4 | Landslide (relatively moderate) |
| 68 | Kewaunee County | Very low 17.3 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 69 | Buffalo County | Very low 14.5 | Landslide (relatively moderate) |
| 70 | Iron County | Very low 11.5 | Cold wave (relatively moderate) |
| 71 | Menominee County | Very low 9.1 | Lightning (relatively moderate) |
| 72 | Pepin County | Very low 7.2 | 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 Wisconsin has the highest natural disaster risk?
Milwaukee County has the highest composite risk score in Wisconsin in FEMA's National Risk Index: 98.4, rated relatively high.
Which county in Wisconsin has the lowest natural disaster risk?
Pepin County has the lowest composite risk score in Wisconsin: 7.2, rated very low. A low score means lower modelled risk compared with other US counties, not no risk.
What natural disasters is Wisconsin most at risk from?
Across Wisconsin, the hazards rated highest in the most counties are cold wave, lightning, strong wind, according to FEMA's National Risk Index. Each county page lists all 18 hazards.
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