Home › New Mexico › Valencia County

Valencia County, New Mexico

Natural disaster risk, federal disaster history and flood insurance facts.

Relatively Moderate overall risk
10th of 33highest risk in New Mexico
$38Mexpected losses a year
13federal declarations
1 in 15homes with flood insurance
Photo: U.S. Geological Survey, public domain

Valencia County, New Mexico has a moderate overall risk from natural hazards in FEMA's National Risk Index. Its risk score is higher than 82% of US counties. It ranks 10th of 33 counties in New Mexico. The costliest hazards here are inland flooding, earthquakes and lightning. FEMA estimates about $38 million a year in expected losses, or roughly $494 per resident. Since 1973 it has been included in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations for natural events (3 major disasters). The most recent was in July 2025 (severe storms, flooding and landslides). About 1 in 15 homes here carry federal flood insurance (2,142 policies). Since 1978, federal flood insurance has paid about $982,000 on 125 claims here.

FEMA National Risk Index December 2025; OpenFEMA declarations to Nov 6, 2026; NFIP records. Updated November 6, 2026.

Top risks in Valencia County

$29.5 million a yearExpected losses. Damaging events about once every 2 years.
  • Check the FEMA flood map for your address, and ask the seller or landlord about past flooding.
  • Price a flood policy now. Most new federal policies take 30 days to start.

Earthquake

Moderate
$4.4 million a yearExpected losses. Damaging events about once every 205 years.
  • Ask whether an older house is bolted to its foundation.
  • Consider separate earthquake insurance where risk is high.
$912,505 a yearExpected losses. Damaging events about 58 times a year.
  • Go indoors when you hear thunder.
  • Use surge protectors for electronics.
HazardRatingScoreExpected loss a year
Inland floodingModerate89.6
$30M
EarthquakeModerate90.4
$4M
LightningHigh89.6
$913K
WildfireLow87.4
$727K
Heat waveLow70.2
$724K
HailLow64.5
$348K
Strong windLow27.6
$209K
Winter weatherModerate83.0
$190K
TornadoVery Low19.2
$175K
DroughtLow56.2
$174K
Cold waveVery Low16.2
$130K
Ice stormVery Low12.9
$6K
LandslideVery Low9.4
$19
AvalancheVery Low16.5
$16
Volcanic activityVery Low17.9
$0

Scores are percentiles: a score of 90 means higher risk than about 90% of US counties for that hazard. Hazards FEMA does not rate here are left out. Social vulnerability is relatively high and community resilience is very low in FEMA's measures.

Federal disaster history

Recent disasters nationwide ›

Declarations by decade

Federal declarations for natural events that included Valencia County. 2020s bar runs to November 2026.

By type

Fire9
Flood2
Hurricane1
Severe Storm1

Most recent

Jul 10, 2025Severe Storms, Flooding, and LandslidesEmergency
Jun 22, 2025Cotton 2 FireFire management
Jun 21, 2025Desert Willow Fire ComplexFire management
Apr 18, 2025Rio Grande FireFire management
May 4, 2022Wildfires, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Mudflows, and Debris FlowsMajor disaster
Apr 11, 2022Big Hole FireFire management
Mar 8, 2019Ironworks FireFire management
Feb 24, 2007Belen FireFire management
Aug 30, 2006Severe Storms and FloodingMajor disaster
Sep 7, 2005Hurricane Katrina EvacuationEmergency
Show all 13
May 10, 2000Severe Fire ThreatsEmergency
Apr 20, 2000Rio Grande Fire ComplexFire management
May 11, 1973Severe Storms, Snow Melt & FloodingMajor disaster

New Mexico also had 42 statewide declarations that did not name single counties.

Storm history since 1954

Tornado risk by county ›

The National Weather Service has logged 102 storm reports in Valencia County since 1954, with 1 death and 10 injuries and about $13.3 million in reported damage. The strongest on record here was an F2 tornado on October 10, 1974.

8tornadoes
32hail reports, largest 4.5 inches
36damaging thunderstorm winds
24floods and flash floods

Strongest tornadoes

DateStrengthNearHurt / killed
Oct 10, 1974F2–8 / 1
May 27, 1975F2–0 / 0
Jul 5, 1966F1–0 / 0
Jun 25, 2026EF0Los Lunas0 / 0
Jul 31, 1954F0–0 / 0

Most damaging storms

DateTypeNearDamage
Sep 29, 2017Flash FloodBelen$8M
May 24, 1999Thunderstorm WindLos Chavez$1M
Aug 17, 2008HailBelen$1M
Jul 6, 2021Flash FloodTurn$750K
Jul 31, 2006Flash FloodBelen$500K
Oct 5, 2004HailBelen$300K

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, county-based reports through Jun 25, 2026. Tornado records start in 1950, hail and wind in 1955, and floods and other storm types in 1996, so older decades undercount. Damage is in dollars of the year it happened and is often an estimate. Winter storms, heat and hurricanes are logged by forecast zone, not county, so they are not counted here.

Flood insurance in Valencia County

Check your address flood zone ›
6.7%of homes have federal flood insurance (2,142 policies)
14.3%of homes in mapped high-risk flood zones are insured
$982,291paid on 125 flood claims since 1978
2021costliest year, with $419,850 paid

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) records only; private flood policies are not included. Home counts as of Aug 3, 2026. Since 2021 NFIP prices each home separately under Risk Rating 2.0, so your price depends on the building, not the county. Ask an agent for a quote.

Homes in Valencia County

$223,000median home value (New Mexico $248,100, US $332,700)
1989median year homes were built (New Mexico 1985, US 1980)
31%of homes built before 1980, before many modern wind, quake and flood building rules
30.2%of homes are mobile homes, which are the least safe in tornadoes and high winds

Older homes and mobile homes usually suffer more damage in storms, floods and earthquakes, and can cost more to insure. If you are buying, ask about roof age, foundation bolting and any retrofits. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-year estimates; 30,756 housing units.

Compare in New Mexico

All 33 ›
Largest countiesOverall riskTop hazard
Bernalillo CountyHighInland flooding
Doña Ana CountyHighInland flooding
Santa Fe CountyModerateInland flooding
Sandoval CountyLowInland flooding
San Juan CountyModerateInland flooding
Valencia CountyModerateInland flooding
Lea CountyModerateInland flooding
McKinley CountyLowInland flooding

Neighboring counties

CountyOverall riskDeclarations
Bernalillo CountyHigh9
Cibola CountyLow8
Socorro CountyLow10
Torrance CountyLow12

Common questions about Valencia County

What is the biggest natural hazard in Valencia County?

Inland flooding has the highest expected yearly losses in Valencia County, about $29.5 million a year in FEMA's estimate. Earthquake is second at $4.4 million.

How many federal disasters has Valencia County had?

Valencia County has been included in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations for natural events since 1973, including 3 major disasters. The most recent was Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides in July 2025.

Is Valencia County a high-risk place to live?

Its overall rating is Relatively Moderate, 10th highest of 33 in New Mexico. A county rating covers the whole area. Risk at one address can be much higher or lower, so check the FEMA flood map and ask about the home's history.

Do I need flood insurance in Valencia County?

Standard home insurance does not cover flooding. About 1 in 15 homes in Valencia County has federal flood insurance. Lenders require it in mapped high-risk zones, but many flood claims come from outside those zones.

How many tornadoes has Valencia County had?

NOAA records list 8 tornadoes in Valencia County since 1950. The strongest was an F2 tornado on October 10, 1974. The weather service has also logged 32 hail reports and 24 floods here.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, and NFIP policy and claims data. Hazard Compass is independent and not affiliated with FEMA. These figures describe the whole county, not a single property, and are not insurance or safety advice. Report a problem.