Last updated: 2026-07-20 · Data source: FEMA OpenFEMA, analyzed by US Risk Radar.
Between 2011 and 2026, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued 936 major disaster declarations (type “DR”) across the 50 U.S. states. US Risk Radar analyzed every one of them to rank which states face the most federally recognized disasters — and what kind.
Key findings
- California is the most disaster-prone state, with 40 major declarations since 2011 — most often Severe Storm.
- Nationwide, Severe Storm is the single most common cause of a federal disaster declaration (396 of 936, or 42%).
- The 10 hardest-hit states account for 32% of all declarations.
All 50 states ranked
Click any column header to sort. Figures are unique FEMA major disaster declarations, 2011–2026.
| Rank | State | Declarations ▼ | Most common | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California (CA) | 40 | Severe Storm | 2025-01-08 |
| 2 | Oklahoma (OK) | 33 | Severe Storm | 2025-05-21 |
| 3 | Tennessee (TN) | 33 | Severe Storm | 2026-02-06 |
| 4 | Alaska (AK) | 32 | Severe Storm | 2026-05-29 |
| 5 | Mississippi (MS) | 29 | Severe Storm | 2026-06-30 |
| 6 | Iowa (IA) | 28 | Severe Storm | 2025-05-21 |
| 7 | Kentucky (KY) | 28 | Severe Storm | 2026-05-29 |
| 8 | Kansas (KS) | 26 | Severe Storm | 2026-06-30 |
| 9 | Vermont (VT) | 26 | Severe Storm | 2024-09-26 |
| 10 | West Virginia (WV) | 26 | Severe Storm | 2025-07-22 |
| 11 | Missouri (MO) | 25 | Severe Storm | 2026-06-30 |
| 12 | Nebraska (NE) | 25 | Severe Storm | 2026-06-30 |
| 13 | South Dakota (SD) | 25 | Severe Storm | 2026-04-07 |
| 14 | Washington (WA) | 25 | Severe Storm | 2026-04-07 |
| 15 | Montana (MT) | 24 | Flood | 2026-05-29 |
| 16 | New York (NY) | 24 | Severe Storm | 2024-10-21 |
| 17 | Arkansas (AR) | 23 | Severe Storm | 2025-05-21 |
| 18 | Florida (FL) | 23 | Hurricane | 2024-11-05 |
| 19 | New Hampshire (NH) | 23 | Severe Storm | 2024-08-20 |
| 20 | Texas (TX) | 23 | Flood | 2025-07-06 |
| 21 | Louisiana (LA) | 22 | Hurricane | 2026-06-30 |
| 22 | Alabama (AL) | 21 | Severe Storm | 2023-05-05 |
| 23 | North Dakota (ND) | 21 | Flood | 2025-10-22 |
| 24 | North Carolina (NC) | 19 | Hurricane | 2025-09-11 |
| 25 | Minnesota (MN) | 18 | Flood | 2025-10-22 |
| 26 | Oregon (OR) | 18 | Severe Storm | 2026-04-07 |
| 27 | New Mexico (NM) | 17 | Flood | 2026-06-30 |
| 28 | Georgia (GA) | 16 | Hurricane | 2024-09-30 |
| 29 | Virginia (VA) | 16 | Severe Storm | 2025-04-04 |
| 30 | Hawaii (HI) | 15 | Severe Storm | 2026-04-07 |
| 31 | Maine (ME) | 15 | Severe Storm | 2024-05-24 |
| 32 | New Jersey (NJ) | 15 | Severe Storm | 2023-08-11 |
| 33 | Arizona (AZ) | 14 | Severe Storm | 2026-05-29 |
| 34 | South Carolina (SC) | 14 | Hurricane | 2026-04-07 |
| 35 | Idaho (ID) | 13 | Flood | 2026-06-30 |
| 36 | Massachusetts (MA) | 13 | Severe Storm | 2026-06-30 |
| 37 | Wisconsin (WI) | 13 | Flood | 2026-06-30 |
| 38 | Connecticut (CT) | 12 | Severe Storm | 2024-09-20 |
| 39 | Maryland (MD) | 11 | Hurricane | 2021-02-04 |
| 40 | Pennsylvania (PA) | 11 | Hurricane | 2024-09-11 |
| 41 | Illinois (IL) | 10 | Flood | 2024-09-20 |
| 42 | Michigan (MI) | 10 | Flood | 2026-06-30 |
| 43 | Colorado (CO) | 9 | Fire | 2023-08-25 |
| 44 | Rhode Island (RI) | 9 | Severe Storm | 2024-03-20 |
| 45 | Utah (UT) | 9 | Flood | 2023-12-23 |
| 46 | Ohio (OH) | 8 | Tornado | 2024-05-02 |
| 47 | Delaware (DE) | 7 | Hurricane | 2026-05-29 |
| 48 | Indiana (IN) | 7 | Severe Storm | 2025-07-22 |
| 49 | Wyoming (WY) | 7 | Flood | 2024-11-13 |
| 50 | Nevada (NV) | 5 | Severe Storm | 2023-04-27 |
What disasters actually strike America
Across all 936 declarations, this is how the causes break down nationally:
| Disaster type | Declarations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Storm | 396 | 42% |
| Flood | 208 | 22% |
| Hurricane | 95 | 10% |
| Biological | 53 | 6% |
| Fire | 41 | 4% |
| Tornado | 25 | 3% |
| Snowstorm | 24 | 3% |
| Winter Storm | 22 | 2% |
| Severe Ice Storm | 21 | 2% |
| Tropical Storm | 14 | 1% |
The 10 most disaster-prone states
- California — 40 declarations (mostly Severe Storm)
- Oklahoma — 33 declarations (mostly Severe Storm)
- Tennessee — 33 declarations (mostly Severe Storm)
- Alaska — 32 declarations (mostly Severe Storm)
- Mississippi — 29 declarations (mostly Severe Storm)
- Iowa — 28 declarations (mostly Severe Storm)
- Kentucky — 28 declarations (mostly Severe Storm)
- Kansas — 26 declarations (mostly Severe Storm)
- Vermont — 26 declarations (mostly Severe Storm)
- West Virginia — 26 declarations (mostly Severe Storm)
Methodology
We queried FEMA’s OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2) API for every major disaster declaration (declaration type “DR”) with a declaration date on or after January 1, 2011. We counted each unique disaster number once per state. Emergency declarations (EM) and Fire Management Assistance (FM) are excluded to focus on major disasters. Data retrieved 2026-07-20. This analysis will be refreshed as FEMA publishes new declarations.
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