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North Carolina natural disaster risk

Ratings for all 100 counties, the federal disaster record and flood insurance across the state.

56major disasters since 1953 (23th most)

$4.4Bexpected losses a year

3%of homes with flood insurance

Photo: P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0

North Carolina has had 56 major federal disaster declarations for natural events since 1953. FEMA expects about $4.4 billion a year in losses from natural hazards across the state. Inland flooding is the costliest hazard in 74 of its 100 counties, followed by hurricane in 26. None is rated Very High overall. About 3% of homes carry federal flood insurance, and the program has paid $2.3 billion on 108,748 claims here since 1978.

Very High0counties

High5counties

Moderate26counties

Low52counties

Highest overall risk

1Mecklenburg CountyHigh

2New Hanover CountyHigh

3Brunswick CountyHigh

4Wake CountyHigh

5Onslow CountyHigh

Lowest risk (50,000+ people)

1Hoke CountyLow

2Franklin CountyLow

3Stanly CountyLow

4Granville CountyLow

5Chatham CountyLow

Top hazards

Inland floodingtop risk in 74 counties

Hurricanetop risk in 26 counties

Largest counties

Wake County

1,128,357 people

High Inland flooding

Mecklenburg County

1,114,693 people

High Inland flooding

Guilford County

540,974 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Forsyth County

382,522 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Cumberland County

334,379 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Durham County

324,580 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Buncombe County

269,305 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Union County

237,844 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Gaston County

227,866 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Cabarrus County

225,772 people

Moderate Inland flooding

New Hanover County

225,344 people

High Hurricane

Johnston County

215,586 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Cities in North Carolina

All 43 cities ›

Charlotte903,844 Raleigh481,031 Greensboro301,198 Durham291,467 Winston-Salem252,037 Fayetteville210,815 Cary179,306 Wilmington120,805 High Point116,245 Concord108,719 Asheville94,535 Greenville92,857 Gastonia82,884 Jacksonville71,279 Apex70,630

All 100 counties

Name	People	Overall risk	Top hazard	Declarations	Homes insured
Alamance County	171,316	Low	Inland flooding	25	0.5%
Alexander County	36,437	Low	Inland flooding	17	0.1%
Alleghany County	10,876	Very Low	Inland flooding	18	0.2%
Anson County	22,036	Low	Inland flooding	20	0%
Ashe County	26,560	Low	Inland flooding	24	1.1%
Avery County	17,798	Low	Inland flooding	20	1.7%
Beaufort County	44,607	Moderate	Hurricane	30	13.5%
Bertie County	17,933	Low	Hurricane	26	0.9%
Bladen County	29,597	Moderate	Hurricane	25	0.9%
Brunswick County	136,245	High	Hurricane	33	21.5%
Buncombe County	269,305	Moderate	Inland flooding	19	1%
Burke County	87,532	Low	Inland flooding	22	0.3%
Cabarrus County	225,772	Moderate	Inland flooding	17	0.5%
Caldwell County	80,586	Low	Inland flooding	21	0.4%
Camden County	10,350	Very Low	Inland flooding	21	13.7%
Carteret County	67,625	Moderate	Hurricane	28	21.5%
Caswell County	22,714	Very Low	Inland flooding	23	0%
Catawba County	160,509	Low	Inland flooding	19	0.3%
Chatham County	76,189	Low	Inland flooding	20	0.7%
Cherokee County	28,732	Low	Inland flooding	14	0.8%
Chowan County	13,708	Very Low	Hurricane	24	3.4%
Clay County	11,079	Very Low	Inland flooding	11	2%
Cleveland County	99,458	Low	Inland flooding	18	0.1%
Columbus County	50,557	Moderate	Hurricane	27	2.2%
Craven County	100,042	Moderate	Hurricane	30	11.7%
Cumberland County	334,379	Moderate	Inland flooding	21	1.2%
Currituck County	28,088	Very Low	Inland flooding	22	19.2%
Dare County	36,860	Moderate	Hurricane	29	39.7%
Davidson County	168,808	Moderate	Inland flooding	27	0.3%
Davie County	42,692	Very Low	Inland flooding	20	0.3%
Duplin County	48,624	Moderate	Hurricane	24	2.6%
Durham County	324,580	Moderate	Inland flooding	23	1.3%
Edgecombe County	48,898	Low	Inland flooding	25	3.5%
Forsyth County	382,522	Moderate	Inland flooding	23	0.4%
Franklin County	68,431	Low	Inland flooding	21	0.3%
Gaston County	227,866	Moderate	Inland flooding	18	0.4%
Gates County	10,454	Very Low	Inland flooding	20	1.1%
Graham County	8,013	Very Low	Inland flooding	15	0.8%
Granville County	60,973	Low	Inland flooding	24	0.2%
Greene County	20,451	Low	Hurricane	25	0.7%
Guilford County	540,974	Moderate	Inland flooding	26	0.4%
Halifax County	48,603	Low	Inland flooding	24	0.3%
Harnett County	133,456	Low	Inland flooding	21	0.7%
Haywood County	62,051	Low	Inland flooding	19	2%
Henderson County	116,029	Moderate	Inland flooding	16	1%
Hertford County	21,546	Low	Hurricane	26	0.5%
Hoke County	52,053	Low	Inland flooding	18	0.5%
Hyde County	4,573	Low	Hurricane	30	32.6%
Iredell County	186,589	Low	Inland flooding	21	0.2%
Jackson County	43,081	Low	Inland flooding	17	1.2%
Johnston County	215,586	Moderate	Inland flooding	25	0.7%
Jones County	9,165	Low	Hurricane	25	4.2%
Lee County	63,261	Low	Inland flooding	21	0.5%
Lenoir County	55,112	Moderate	Hurricane	27	1.5%
Lincoln County	86,724	Low	Inland flooding	19	0.2%
Macon County	36,973	Low	Inland flooding	15	0.8%
Madison County	21,147	Very Low	Inland flooding	21	1%
Martin County	21,994	Low	Hurricane	21	0.5%
McDowell County	44,525	Low	Inland flooding	19	0.7%
Mecklenburg County	1,114,693	High	Inland flooding	16	0.8%
Mitchell County	14,896	Very Low	Inland flooding	19	0.6%
Montgomery County	25,722	Low	Inland flooding	22	0.1%
Moore County	99,632	Low	Inland flooding	21	1.3%
Nash County	94,907	Low	Inland flooding	26	1.4%
New Hanover County	225,344	High	Hurricane	30	14.7%
Northampton County	17,436	Low	Inland flooding	23	0.2%
Onslow County	202,949	High	Hurricane	28	6.3%
Orange County	148,579	Low	Inland flooding	24	1.5%
Pamlico County	12,213	Low	Hurricane	28	26.2%
Pasquotank County	40,457	Low	Hurricane	21	11%
Pender County	60,195	Moderate	Hurricane	29	16.1%
Perquimans County	13,000	Very Low	Hurricane	22	6%
Person County	39,080	Very Low	Inland flooding	25	0.1%
Pitt County	169,746	Moderate	Inland flooding	28	2.3%
Polk County	19,286	Very Low	Inland flooding	21	0.8%
Randolph County	144,115	Low	Inland flooding	22	0.2%
Richmond County	42,920	Low	Inland flooding	18	0.2%
Robeson County	116,414	Moderate	Hurricane	22	2.6%
Rockingham County	91,080	Low	Inland flooding	23	0.1%
Rowan County	146,778	Moderate	Inland flooding	19	0.3%
Rutherford County	64,379	Low	Inland flooding	20	0.4%
Sampson County	59,021	Moderate	Hurricane	23	0.5%
Scotland County	34,158	Low	Inland flooding	17	0.4%
Stanly County	62,476	Low	Inland flooding	19	0.2%
Stokes County	44,503	Very Low	Inland flooding	23	0.1%
Surry County	71,351	Low	Inland flooding	18	0.1%
Swain County	14,108	Low	Inland flooding	15	0.9%
Transylvania County	32,927	Low	Inland flooding	16	1.6%
Tyrrell County	3,245	Low	Hurricane	23	16.6%
Union County	237,844	Moderate	Inland flooding	19	0.4%
Vance County	42,564	Low	Inland flooding	21	0.1%
Wake County	1,128,357	High	Inland flooding	24	0.8%
Warren County	18,618	Low	Inland flooding	22	0.2%
Washington County	11,003	Low	Hurricane	22	3.5%
Watauga County	54,000	Low	Inland flooding	22	2%
Wayne County	116,680	Moderate	Inland flooding	26	1.3%
Wilkes County	65,928	Moderate	Inland flooding	20	0.1%
Wilson County	78,695	Low	Inland flooding	26	1.3%
Yadkin County	37,209	Very Low	Inland flooding	19	0.1%
Yancey County	18,463	Very Low	Inland flooding	21	1.6%

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.