Safest places to live in Massachusetts
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.
Dukes County has the lowest natural disaster risk of the 13 Massachusetts counties with 20,000 or more people, followed by Franklin County and Hampshire County. At the other end, Middlesex 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 14 counties ›20,495 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 1 tornadoes since 1950, 12 hurricanes within 65 miles, 19 federal declarations.2Franklin County
70,685 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 25 tornadoes since 1950, 6 hurricanes within 65 miles, 20 federal declarations.3Hampshire County
162,053 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 9 tornadoes since 1950, 6 hurricanes within 65 miles, 21 federal declarations.4Berkshire County
128,939 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 19 tornadoes since 1950, 3 hurricanes within 65 miles, 21 federal declarations.5Barnstable County
228,870 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 8 tornadoes since 1950, 12 hurricanes within 65 miles, 21 federal declarations.6Bristol County
578,698 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 13 tornadoes since 1950, 11 hurricanes within 65 miles, 26 federal declarations.7Plymouth County
530,320 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 10 tornadoes since 1950, 11 hurricanes within 65 miles, 29 federal declarations.8Norfolk County
725,648 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 15 tornadoes since 1950, 11 hurricanes within 65 miles, 33 federal declarations.9Hampden County
465,327 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 19 tornadoes since 1950, 8 hurricanes within 65 miles, 22 federal declarations.10Worcester County
861,566 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 52 tornadoes since 1950, 8 hurricanes within 65 miles, 30 federal declarations.
Lowest-risk cities
All cities ›Hampshire County, 38,182 people2Northampton
Hampshire County, 30,962 people3Pittsfield
Berkshire County, 43,457 people4Barnstable Town
Barnstable County, 49,568 people5New Bedford
Bristol County, 100,998 people6Fall River
Bristol County, 94,082 people7Taunton
Bristol County, 60,433 people8Attleboro
Bristol County, 46,762 people9North Attleborough Town
Bristol County, 30,984 people10Brockton
Plymouth County, 105,386 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. 21 tornadoes since 1950, 8 hurricanes within 65 miles, 31 federal declarations.2Essex County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 12 tornadoes since 1950, 8 hurricanes within 65 miles, 36 federal declarations.3Worcester County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 52 tornadoes since 1950, 8 hurricanes within 65 miles, 30 federal declarations.4Suffolk County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 1 tornadoes since 1950, 10 hurricanes within 65 miles, 33 federal declarations.5Hampden County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 19 tornadoes since 1950, 8 hurricanes within 65 miles, 22 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 Massachusetts from natural disasters?
Dukes County has the lowest overall risk score among Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts from natural disasters?
Amherst Town sits in Hampshire County, which has the lowest risk score of any Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts have the highest disaster risk?
Middlesex County, Essex County and Worcester 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.