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Tennessee natural disaster risk

Ratings for all 95 counties, the federal disaster record and flood insurance across the state.

77major disasters since 1953 (7th most)

$3Bexpected losses a year

0.7%of homes with flood insurance

Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0

Tennessee has had 77 major federal disaster declarations for natural events since 1953. FEMA expects about $3 billion a year in losses from natural hazards across the state. Inland flooding is the costliest hazard in 74 of its 95 counties, followed by earthquake in 18. None is rated Very High overall. About 0.7% of homes carry federal flood insurance, and the program has paid $479 million on 17,624 claims here since 1978.

Very High0counties

High2counties

Moderate12counties

Low50counties

Highest overall risk

1Shelby CountyHigh

2Davidson CountyHigh

3Hamilton CountyModerate

4Knox CountyModerate

5Madison CountyModerate

Lowest risk (50,000+ people)

1Jefferson CountyLow

2Hamblen CountyLow

3Dickson CountyLow

4Hawkins CountyLow

5Greene CountyLow

Top hazards

Inland floodingtop risk in 74 counties

Earthquaketop risk in 18 counties

Cold wavetop risk in 2 counties

Largest counties

Shelby County

929,552 people

High Earthquake

Davidson County

715,485 people

High Inland flooding

Knox County

478,842 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Hamilton County

365,901 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Rutherford County

341,253 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Williamson County

247,523 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Montgomery County

220,041 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Sumner County

196,179 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Sullivan County

158,067 people

Low Inland flooding

Wilson County

147,693 people

Low Inland flooding

Blount County

135,033 people

Low Inland flooding

Washington County

132,934 people

Low Inland flooding

Cities in Tennessee

All 28 cities ›

Nashville690,130 Memphis618,980 Knoxville195,185 Chattanooga185,783 Clarksville176,456 Murfreesboro161,445 Franklin87,133 Johnson City72,222 Jackson68,435 Hendersonville63,091 Bartlett56,876 Smyrna56,692 Kingsport56,262 Spring Hill55,765 Collierville51,515

All 95 counties

Name	People	Overall risk	Top hazard	Declarations	Homes insured
Anderson County	77,015	Low	Inland flooding	20	0.3%
Bedford County	50,187	Low	Inland flooding	16	0.2%
Benton County	15,849	Very Low	Earthquake	20	0.4%
Bledsoe County	14,876	Very Low	Inland flooding	23	0%
Blount County	135,033	Low	Inland flooding	16	0.5%
Bradley County	108,482	Low	Inland flooding	16	0.6%
Campbell County	39,231	Low	Inland flooding	23	0.3%
Cannon County	14,490	Very Low	Inland flooding	20	0.6%
Carroll County	28,396	Low	Earthquake	22	0.1%
Carter County	56,264	Low	Inland flooding	16	1.4%
Cheatham County	41,046	Low	Inland flooding	23	1.5%
Chester County	17,340	Low	Earthquake	14	0.1%
Claiborne County	32,028	Low	Inland flooding	19	0.1%
Clay County	7,571	Very Low	Inland flooding	20	0.3%
Cocke County	35,951	Low	Inland flooding	22	1%
Coffee County	57,861	Low	Inland flooding	19	0.4%
Crockett County	13,873	Low	Earthquake	17	0.2%
Cumberland County	61,087	Low	Inland flooding	24	0.1%
Davidson County	715,485	High	Inland flooding	25	1.7%
Decatur County	11,430	Very Low	Inland flooding	26	1.9%
DeKalb County	20,068	Very Low	Inland flooding	18	0.3%
Dickson County	54,292	Low	Inland flooding	25	0.3%
Dyer County	36,762	Moderate	Earthquake	22	1.2%
Fayette County	41,886	Low	Earthquake	19	0.4%
Fentress County	18,485	Very Low	Inland flooding	22	0%
Franklin County	42,763	Low	Inland flooding	13	0.3%
Gibson County	50,413	Moderate	Earthquake	26	0.5%
Giles County	30,337	Low	Inland flooding	22	0.7%
Grainger County	23,527	Very Low	Inland flooding	18	0.1%
Greene County	70,100	Low	Inland flooding	16	0.2%
Grundy County	13,485	Very Low	Inland flooding	20	0.2%
Hamblen County	64,438	Low	Inland flooding	13	0.3%
Hamilton County	365,901	Moderate	Inland flooding	23	1%
Hancock County	6,660	Very Low	Inland flooding	17	0.4%
Hardeman County	23,479	Low	Earthquake	16	0%
Hardin County	26,745	Low	Inland flooding	26	1%
Hawkins County	56,711	Low	Inland flooding	15	0.2%
Haywood County	17,842	Low	Earthquake	19	1%
Henderson County	27,818	Low	Earthquake	25	0.1%
Henry County	32,196	Moderate	Cold wave	19	0.5%
Hickman County	24,872	Low	Inland flooding	23	0.4%
Houston County	8,275	Very Low	Inland flooding	26	0.5%
Humphreys County	18,964	Low	Inland flooding	24	0.9%
Jackson County	11,610	Very Low	Inland flooding	33	0.2%
Jefferson County	54,645	Low	Inland flooding	19	0.3%
Johnson County	17,932	Very Low	Inland flooding	18	1.1%
Knox County	478,842	Moderate	Inland flooding	17	0.5%
Lake County	7,005	Low	Earthquake	20	1.1%
Lauderdale County	25,078	Low	Earthquake	22	0.7%
Lawrence County	44,119	Low	Inland flooding	23	0.1%
Lewis County	12,491	Very Low	Tornado	22	0.2%
Lincoln County	35,311	Low	Inland flooding	15	0.2%
Loudon County	54,818	Low	Inland flooding	18	0.3%
Macon County	25,211	Very Low	Inland flooding	19	0.1%
Madison County	98,781	Moderate	Earthquake	22	0.4%
Marion County	28,731	Low	Inland flooding	23	0.7%
Marshall County	34,318	Low	Inland flooding	15	0.7%
Maury County	100,910	Low	Inland flooding	19	0.4%
McMinn County	53,193	Low	Inland flooding	14	0.1%
McNairy County	25,792	Low	Earthquake	19	0.1%
Meigs County	12,744	Very Low	Inland flooding	17	0.1%
Monroe County	46,218	Low	Inland flooding	16	0.2%
Montgomery County	220,041	Moderate	Inland flooding	20	0.4%
Moore County	6,446	Very Low	Inland flooding	16	0.1%
Morgan County	21,024	Very Low	Inland flooding	19	0.1%
Obion County	30,777	Moderate	Earthquake	20	0.9%
Overton County	22,498	Very Low	Inland flooding	19	0.1%
Perry County	8,329	Very Low	Inland flooding	22	1.4%
Pickett County	4,999	Very Low	Inland flooding	19	0.1%
Polk County	17,531	Very Low	Inland flooding	21	0.6%
Putnam County	79,809	Low	Inland flooding	17	0.2%
Rhea County	32,839	Low	Inland flooding	19	0.7%
Roane County	53,371	Low	Inland flooding	22	0.4%
Robertson County	72,788	Low	Inland flooding	12	0.2%
Rutherford County	341,253	Moderate	Inland flooding	15	1.1%
Scott County	21,840	Very Low	Inland flooding	24	0.2%
Sequatchie County	15,811	Very Low	Cold wave	19	0.4%
Sevier County	98,277	Low	Inland flooding	21	0.9%
Shelby County	929,552	High	Earthquake	26	0.7%
Smith County	19,887	Very Low	Inland flooding	20	1.1%
Stewart County	13,649	Very Low	Inland flooding	21	0.4%
Sullivan County	158,067	Low	Inland flooding	10	0.4%
Sumner County	196,179	Moderate	Inland flooding	20	0.9%
Tipton County	60,942	Moderate	Earthquake	23	0.6%
Trousdale County	11,606	Very Low	Inland flooding	11	0.3%
Unicoi County	17,924	Very Low	Inland flooding	16	1.7%
Union County	19,802	Very Low	Inland flooding	14	0.1%
Van Buren County	6,146	Very Low	Inland flooding	18	0.5%
Warren County	40,930	Low	Inland flooding	20	0.2%
Washington County	132,934	Low	Inland flooding	14	0.4%
Wayne County	16,204	Low	Inland flooding	25	0.7%
Weakley County	32,891	Low	Earthquake	19	0.2%
White County	27,325	Very Low	Inland flooding	16	0.1%
Williamson County	247,523	Moderate	Inland flooding	14	2.4%
Wilson County	147,693	Low	Inland flooding	15	1.2%

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.