Safest places to live in Florida
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.
Baker County has the lowest natural disaster risk of the 54 Florida counties with 20,000 or more people, followed by Bradford County and Wakulla County. At the other end, Miami-Dade 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 67 counties ›27,852 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 12 tornadoes since 1950, 11 hurricanes within 65 miles, 38 federal declarations.2Bradford County
28,233 people. Top hazard: Hurricane. 21 tornadoes since 1950, 15 hurricanes within 65 miles, 32 federal declarations.3Wakulla County
33,756 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 26 tornadoes since 1950, 24 hurricanes within 65 miles, 45 federal declarations.4Nassau County
90,123 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 31 tornadoes since 1950, 17 hurricanes within 65 miles, 38 federal declarations.5Washington County
25,288 people. Top hazard: Hurricane. 33 tornadoes since 1950, 26 hurricanes within 65 miles, 40 federal declarations.6Taylor County
21,690 people. Top hazard: Hurricane. 24 tornadoes since 1950, 18 hurricanes within 65 miles, 39 federal declarations.7Levy County
42,750 people. Top hazard: Hurricane. 23 tornadoes since 1950, 22 hurricanes within 65 miles, 43 federal declarations.8Hardee County
25,302 people. Top hazard: Strong wind. 24 tornadoes since 1950, 26 hurricanes within 65 miles, 34 federal declarations.9Columbia County
69,648 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 25 tornadoes since 1950, 14 hurricanes within 65 miles, 35 federal declarations.10Suwannee County
43,427 people. Top hazard: Hurricane. 45 tornadoes since 1950, 18 hurricanes within 65 miles, 38 federal declarations.
Lowest-risk cities
All cities ›Clay County, 32,105 people2Oakleaf Plantation
Clay County, 32,070 people3Fleming Island
Clay County, 29,766 people4Palm Coast
Flagler County, 98,258 people5Fruit Cove
St. Johns County, 35,877 people6Nocatee
St. Johns County, 27,442 people7World Golf Village
St. Johns County, 26,077 people8Spring Hill
Hernando County, 119,983 people9Navarre
Santa Rosa County, 39,838 people10Pace
Santa Rosa County, 26,282 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. 150 tornadoes since 1950, 35 hurricanes within 65 miles, 39 federal declarations.2Broward County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 147 tornadoes since 1950, 35 hurricanes within 65 miles, 40 federal declarations.3Palm Beach County
Top hazard: Hurricane. 198 tornadoes since 1950, 38 hurricanes within 65 miles, 38 federal declarations.4Lee County
Top hazard: Hurricane. 131 tornadoes since 1950, 27 hurricanes within 65 miles, 43 federal declarations.5Collier County
Top hazard: Hurricane. 71 tornadoes since 1950, 29 hurricanes within 65 miles, 52 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 Florida from natural disasters?
Baker County has the lowest overall risk score among Florida 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 Florida from natural disasters?
Lakeside sits in Clay County, which has the lowest risk score of any Florida 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 Florida have the highest disaster risk?
Miami-Dade County, Broward County and Palm Beach 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.