Safest places to live in Wisconsin
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.
Kewaunee County has the lowest natural disaster risk of the 52 Wisconsin counties with 20,000 or more people, followed by Iowa County and Calumet County. At the other end, Milwaukee County carries the highest risk in the state, mostly from cold wave. 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 72 counties ›20,563 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 9 tornadoes since 1950, 6 federal declarations.2Iowa County
23,675 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 35 tornadoes since 1950, 15 federal declarations.3Calumet County
52,428 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 24 tornadoes since 1950, 9 federal declarations.4Pierce County
42,203 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 27 tornadoes since 1950, 11 federal declarations.5Waushara County
24,507 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 25 tornadoes since 1950, 8 federal declarations.6Green County
37,080 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 31 tornadoes since 1950, 15 federal declarations.7Door County
30,054 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 10 tornadoes since 1950, 4 federal declarations.8Jackson County
21,028 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 21 tornadoes since 1950, 12 federal declarations.9Dunn County
45,411 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 24 tornadoes since 1950, 11 federal declarations.10Ozaukee County
91,247 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 4 tornadoes since 1950, 11 federal declarations.
Lowest-risk cities
All cities ›Ozaukee County, 25,270 people2Superior
Douglas County, 26,677 people3Stevens Point
Portage County, 25,785 people4West Bend
Washington County, 32,030 people5Manitowoc
Manitowoc County, 34,620 people6Sheboygan
Sheboygan County, 49,645 people7Fond du Lac
Fond du Lac County, 44,494 people8Eau Claire
Eau Claire County, 70,322 people9Appleton
Outagamie County, 75,023 people10La Crosse
La Crosse County, 51,356 people
Cities with 25,000 or more people. The rating is for the county the city is in.
Highest-risk counties
Top hazard: Cold wave. 19 tornadoes since 1950, 20 federal declarations.2Dane County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 76 tornadoes since 1950, 17 federal declarations.3Brown County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 30 tornadoes since 1950, 7 federal declarations.4Waukesha County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 40 tornadoes since 1950, 17 federal declarations.5Marathon County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 65 tornadoes since 1950, 10 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 Wisconsin from natural disasters?
Kewaunee County has the lowest overall risk score among Wisconsin counties with 20,000 or more people, rated very low by FEMA's National Risk Index. Its biggest remaining hazard is inland flooding.
What is the safest city in Wisconsin from natural disasters?
Mequon sits in Ozaukee County, which has the lowest risk score of any Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin have the highest disaster risk?
Milwaukee County, Dane County and Brown 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.