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New York natural disaster risk

Ratings for all 62 counties, the federal disaster record and flood insurance across the state.

83major disasters since 1953 (5th most)

$4.3Bexpected losses a year

3%of homes with flood insurance

Photo: Steven Pisano from Brooklyn, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0

New York has had 83 major federal disaster declarations for natural events since 1953. FEMA expects about $4.3 billion a year in losses from natural hazards across the state. Inland flooding is the costliest hazard in 62 of its 62 counties. None is rated Very High overall. About 3% of homes carry federal flood insurance, and the program has paid $5.7 billion on 174,558 claims here since 1978.

Very High0counties

High8counties

Moderate15counties

Low31counties

Highest overall risk

1Kings CountyHigh

2Queens CountyHigh

3New York CountyHigh

4Bronx CountyHigh

5Erie CountyHigh

Lowest risk (50,000+ people)

1Putnam CountyVery Low

2Fulton CountyLow

3Chemung CountyLow

4Genesee CountyLow

5Wayne CountyLow

Top hazards

Inland floodingtop risk in 62 counties

Largest counties

Kings County

2,735,309 people

High Inland flooding

Queens County

2,404,353 people

High Inland flooding

New York County

1,693,650 people

High Inland flooding

Suffolk County

1,524,969 people

High Inland flooding

Bronx County

1,471,631 people

High Inland flooding

Nassau County

1,395,584 people

High Inland flooding

Westchester County

1,002,867 people

High Inland flooding

Erie County

954,005 people

High Inland flooding

Monroe County

758,349 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Richmond County

495,666 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Onondaga County

476,419 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Orange County

401,096 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Cities in New York

All 64 cities ›

New York8,483,844 Buffalo276,854 Yonkers209,978 Rochester208,772 Syracuse146,384 Albany100,492 New Rochelle82,769 Cheektowaga76,056 Mount Vernon72,427 Schenectady68,847 Utica64,217 White Plains60,666 Hempstead58,801 Tonawanda Town56,806 Levittown51,904

All 62 counties

Name	People	Overall risk	Top hazard	Declarations	Homes insured
Albany County	314,684	Moderate	Inland flooding	19	0.6%
Allegany County	46,450	Low	Inland flooding	21	0.9%
Bronx County	1,471,631	High	Inland flooding	16	2.3%
Broome County	198,638	Moderate	Inland flooding	26	1.8%
Cattaraugus County	76,993	Moderate	Inland flooding	22	1%
Cayuga County	76,185	Low	Inland flooding	15	0.9%
Chautauqua County	127,598	Moderate	Inland flooding	20	0.6%
Chemung County	84,135	Low	Inland flooding	15	1.3%
Chenango County	47,199	Low	Inland flooding	27	1.4%
Clinton County	79,822	Low	Inland flooding	15	0.5%
Columbia County	61,549	Low	Inland flooding	23	0.6%
Cortland County	46,796	Low	Inland flooding	15	1.3%
Delaware County	44,102	Moderate	Inland flooding	35	1.9%
Dutchess County	295,788	Moderate	Inland flooding	23	1.2%
Erie County	954,005	High	Inland flooding	23	0.4%
Essex County	37,348	Low	Inland flooding	21	0.7%
Franklin County	47,519	Low	Inland flooding	16	0.4%
Fulton County	53,276	Low	Inland flooding	14	0.3%
Genesee County	58,382	Low	Inland flooding	21	1%
Greene County	47,864	Low	Inland flooding	25	1.1%
Hamilton County	5,083	Very Low	Inland flooding	14	0.8%
Herkimer County	60,103	Low	Inland flooding	21	1.1%
Jefferson County	116,438	Low	Inland flooding	17	0.6%
Kings County	2,735,309	High	Inland flooding	20	2.9%
Lewis County	26,548	Very Low	Inland flooding	24	0.4%
Livingston County	61,807	Low	Inland flooding	16	0.8%
Madison County	68,007	Low	Inland flooding	20	1.1%
Monroe County	758,349	Moderate	Inland flooding	17	0.4%
Montgomery County	49,489	Low	Inland flooding	22	0.8%
Nassau County	1,395,584	High	Inland flooding	27	9.7%
New York County	1,693,650	High	Inland flooding	18	1.5%
Niagara County	212,642	Moderate	Inland flooding	22	0.6%
Oneida County	232,037	Moderate	Inland flooding	24	0.6%
Onondaga County	476,419	Moderate	Inland flooding	15	0.7%
Ontario County	112,342	Low	Inland flooding	16	0.7%
Orange County	401,096	Moderate	Inland flooding	32	0.9%
Orleans County	40,286	Very Low	Inland flooding	20	0.3%
Oswego County	117,511	Low	Inland flooding	17	0.5%
Otsego County	58,494	Low	Inland flooding	23	0.9%
Putnam County	97,640	Very Low	Inland flooding	25	0.6%
Queens County	2,404,353	High	Inland flooding	21	3.7%
Rensselaer County	161,042	Moderate	Inland flooding	24	1.1%
Richmond County	495,666	Moderate	Inland flooding	21	4.4%
Rockland County	338,294	Moderate	Inland flooding	26	1.3%
Saratoga County	235,391	Low	Inland flooding	16	0.6%
Schenectady County	158,055	Low	Inland flooding	21	0.4%
Schoharie County	29,687	Very Low	Inland flooding	25	1.7%
Schuyler County	17,896	Very Low	Inland flooding	11	0.4%
Seneca County	33,805	Very Low	Inland flooding	8	0.9%
St. Lawrence County	108,366	Low	Inland flooding	15	0.2%
Steuben County	93,544	Low	Inland flooding	21	1.1%
Suffolk County	1,524,969	High	Inland flooding	32	5.4%
Sullivan County	78,496	Low	Inland flooding	31	0.8%
Tioga County	48,430	Low	Inland flooding	23	2.6%
Tompkins County	105,483	Low	Inland flooding	16	1.2%
Ulster County	181,692	Moderate	Inland flooding	33	1.3%
Warren County	65,709	Low	Inland flooding	15	0.4%
Washington County	61,263	Low	Inland flooding	12	0.4%
Wayne County	91,116	Low	Inland flooding	13	0.4%
Westchester County	1,002,867	High	Inland flooding	28	3%
Wyoming County	40,510	Very Low	Inland flooding	20	0.5%
Yates County	24,764	Low	Inland flooding	17	1.5%

Linked names have a full page. Overall risk from the FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); declarations are federal disaster and emergency declarations for natural events since 1953 (OpenFEMA); homes insured is the share with NFIP flood policies.