Natural disaster risk in Laramie County, Wyoming
Wyoming · population 100,483 · FIPS 56021
Overall: relatively low risk
Laramie County has a composite risk score of 76.7 out of 100 — higher than 76% of US counties. It ranks 1 of 23 in Wyoming (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are winter weather, cold wave, ice storm.
Drought now: Yes: D3 Extreme Drought, 35 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 47.82% of Laramie County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 35 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Laramie 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 low 76.7 |
| Expected annual loss About $41.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 80.8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 22 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively moderate 49 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Laramie County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Winter weather | Very high 97 |
| Cold wave | Relatively high 93 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 91 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 89 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 92 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 88 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 71 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 69 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 66 |
| Landslide | Very low 42 |
| Drought | Very low 27 |
| Heat wave | Very low 19 |
| Avalanche | Very low 1 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Laramie County
Federal declarations that designated Laramie County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Laramie County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5490-WY (Happy Jack Fire), declared 1 Mar 2024.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FM-5490-WY | Fire management | Happy Jack Fire | 1 Mar 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Wyoming, 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 Laramie County, Wyoming?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Laramie County as relatively low, with a score of 76.7 out of 100 (higher than 76% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Laramie County?
The hazards rated highest for Laramie County are winter weather (very high), cold wave (relatively high), ice storm (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Laramie County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Laramie County as relatively low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Laramie County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Laramie County has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is FM-5490-WY (Happy Jack Fire), declared 1 Mar 2024.
Is Laramie County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 47.82% of Laramie County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 35 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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