Safest places to live in New Jersey
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.
Salem County has the lowest natural disaster risk of the 21 New Jersey counties with 20,000 or more people, followed by Sussex County and Hunterdon County. At the other end, Bergen 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 21 counties ›64,822 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 4 tornadoes since 1950, 1 hurricanes within 65 miles, 23 federal declarations.2Sussex County
144,119 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 4 tornadoes since 1950, 2 hurricanes within 65 miles, 25 federal declarations.3Hunterdon County
128,867 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 9 tornadoes since 1950, 3 hurricanes within 65 miles, 23 federal declarations.4Warren County
109,580 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 6 tornadoes since 1950, 2 hurricanes within 65 miles, 24 federal declarations.5Cumberland County
154,088 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 10 tornadoes since 1950, 3 hurricanes within 65 miles, 28 federal declarations.6Gloucester County
302,128 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 14 tornadoes since 1950, 2 hurricanes within 65 miles, 25 federal declarations.7Somerset County
345,266 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 4 tornadoes since 1950, 2 hurricanes within 65 miles, 27 federal declarations.8Cape May County
95,244 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 12 tornadoes since 1950, 10 hurricanes within 65 miles, 31 federal declarations.9Morris County
508,868 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 11 tornadoes since 1950, 2 hurricanes within 65 miles, 30 federal declarations.10Atlantic County
274,261 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 9 tornadoes since 1950, 9 hurricanes within 65 miles, 33 federal declarations.
Lowest-risk cities
All cities ›Cumberland County, 61,006 people2Millville
Cumberland County, 27,511 people3Bridgeton
Cumberland County, 27,001 people4Atlantic City
Atlantic County, 38,632 people5Camden
Camden County, 71,496 people6Sicklerville
Camden County, 44,998 people7Trenton
Mercer County, 90,338 people8Princeton
Mercer County, 30,756 people9Elizabeth
Union County, 137,302 people10Plainfield
Union County, 55,236 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. 9 tornadoes since 1950, 7 hurricanes within 65 miles, 28 federal declarations.2Middlesex County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 8 tornadoes since 1950, 6 hurricanes within 65 miles, 27 federal declarations.3Essex County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 3 tornadoes since 1950, 5 hurricanes within 65 miles, 29 federal declarations.4Hudson County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 1 tornadoes since 1950, 7 hurricanes within 65 miles, 20 federal declarations.5Monmouth County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 17 tornadoes since 1950, 8 hurricanes within 65 miles, 25 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 New Jersey from natural disasters?
Salem County has the lowest overall risk score among New Jersey counties with 20,000 or more people, rated low by FEMA's National Risk Index. Its biggest remaining hazard is inland flooding.
What is the safest city in New Jersey from natural disasters?
Vineland sits in Cumberland County, which has the lowest risk score of any New Jersey 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 New Jersey have the highest disaster risk?
Bergen County, Middlesex County and Essex 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.