Safest places to live in Hawaii
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.
Kalawao County has the lowest natural disaster risk in Hawaii, followed by Kauai County and Maui County. At the other end, Honolulu 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 5 counties ›82 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 1 hurricanes within 65 miles, 1 magnitude 5+ quakes nearby, 1 federal declarations.2Kauai County
73,136 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 6 tornadoes since 1950, 4 hurricanes within 65 miles, 17 federal declarations.3Maui County
164,632 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 5 tornadoes since 1950, 1 hurricanes within 65 miles, 4 magnitude 5+ quakes nearby, 31 federal declarations.4Hawaii County
200,469 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 10 tornadoes since 1950, 119 magnitude 5+ quakes nearby, 33 federal declarations.5Honolulu County
1,013,620 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 20 tornadoes since 1950, 2 hurricanes within 65 miles, 23 federal declarations.
Lowest-risk cities
All cities ›Maui County, 28,288 people2Hilo
Hawaii County, 50,404 people3Honolulu
Honolulu County, 345,482 people4East Honolulu
Honolulu County, 51,360 people5Pearl City
Honolulu County, 44,547 people6Waipahu
Honolulu County, 40,482 people7Kailua CDP (Honolulu County)
Honolulu County, 39,640 people8Kaneohe
Honolulu County, 37,355 people9Mililani Town
Honolulu County, 27,668 people10Ewa Gentry
Honolulu County, 26,563 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. 20 tornadoes since 1950, 2 hurricanes within 65 miles, 23 federal declarations.2Hawaii County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 10 tornadoes since 1950, 119 magnitude 5+ quakes nearby, 33 federal declarations.3Maui County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 5 tornadoes since 1950, 1 hurricanes within 65 miles, 4 magnitude 5+ quakes nearby, 31 federal declarations.4Kauai County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 6 tornadoes since 1950, 4 hurricanes within 65 miles, 17 federal declarations.5Kalawao County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 1 hurricanes within 65 miles, 1 magnitude 5+ quakes nearby, 1 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 Hawaii from natural disasters?
Kalawao County has the lowest overall risk score in Hawaii, rated very low by FEMA's National Risk Index. Its biggest remaining hazard is inland flooding.
What is the safest city in Hawaii from natural disasters?
Kahului sits in Maui County, which has the lowest risk score of any Hawaii 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 Hawaii have the highest disaster risk?
Honolulu County, Hawaii County and Maui 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.