Safest places to live in Arkansas
The counties and cities with the lowest natural disaster risk, ranked from FEMA's National Risk Index and checked against storm, hurricane and earthquake records.
Clark County has the lowest natural disaster risk of the 34 Arkansas counties with 20,000 or more people, followed by Columbia County and Logan County. At the other end, Pulaski County carries the highest risk in the state, mostly from inland flooding. Ranks use FEMA's overall risk score, which weighs expected yearly losses against how vulnerable and how resilient each county is.
Lowest-risk counties
All 75 counties ›21,403 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 35 tornadoes since 1950, 22 federal declarations.2Columbia County
22,769 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 36 tornadoes since 1950, 20 federal declarations.3Logan County
21,102 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 30 tornadoes since 1950, 21 federal declarations.4Ouachita County
22,627 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 23 tornadoes since 1950, 27 federal declarations.5Hempstead County
20,040 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 36 tornadoes since 1950, 24 federal declarations.6Union County
39,006 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 45 tornadoes since 1950, 19 federal declarations.7Hot Spring County
33,028 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 40 tornadoes since 1950, 18 federal declarations.8Conway County
20,697 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 42 tornadoes since 1950, 27 federal declarations.9Johnson County
25,685 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 39 tornadoes since 1950, 24 federal declarations.10Yell County
20,235 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 33 tornadoes since 1950, 20 federal declarations.
Lowest-risk cities
All cities ›Miller County, 29,177 people2Cabot
Lonoke County, 26,960 people3Benton
Saline County, 36,595 people4Russellville
Pope County, 29,162 people5Paragould
Greene County, 30,215 people6Pine Bluff
Jefferson County, 39,743 people7Conway
Faulkner County, 67,642 people8Fort Smith
Sebastian County, 89,805 people9Springdale
Benton County, 88,160 people10Rogers
Benton County, 72,981 people
Cities with 25,000 or more people. The rating is for the county the city is in.
Highest-risk counties
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 103 tornadoes since 1950, 31 federal declarations.2Washington County
Top hazard: Heat wave. 53 tornadoes since 1950, 18 federal declarations.3Craighead County
Top hazard: Earthquake. 54 tornadoes since 1950, 26 federal declarations.4Garland County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 41 tornadoes since 1950, 19 federal declarations.5Mississippi County
Top hazard: Earthquake. 59 tornadoes since 1950, 19 federal declarations.
Before you move
A county rating is an average. Inside any county, homes near rivers, coasts or steep slopes carry more risk than the rest. Look up the exact address with our flood zone lookup, ask the seller about past flood or storm claims, and get an insurance quote before you commit.
Questions
What is the safest county in Arkansas from natural disasters?
Clark County has the lowest overall risk score among Arkansas counties with 20,000 or more people, rated very low by FEMA's National Risk Index. Its biggest remaining hazard is inland flooding.
What is the safest city in Arkansas from natural disasters?
Texarkana sits in Miller County, which has the lowest risk score of any Arkansas county containing a city of 25,000 or more people. County ratings cover the whole county, so check the flood zone of any address you are considering.
Which counties in Arkansas have the highest disaster risk?
Pulaski County, Washington County and Craighead County have the highest overall risk scores in the state.
Does a low rating mean no disasters?
No. A low rating means lower expected losses compared with other US counties, after accounting for how many people and buildings are exposed and how well the area recovers. Floods and severe storms can happen anywhere, and most flood claims come from outside mapped high-risk zones.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); NOAA Storm Events and HURDAT2; USGS earthquake catalog; OpenFEMA declarations since 1953.