FEMA Disaster Declaration Frequency by State

FEMA's API publishes every Stafford-Act disaster declaration since 1953. The "recent" column is post-2014 — about a decade of climate-amplified frequency. Per-capita normalization separates population-driven volume from genuine exposure intensity. A state ranking high on recent and high on per-capita is one where the disaster-pace baseline has reset.

Most recent declarationsTexas1,382 since 2014 · 5,424 since 1953
Fewest recent declarationsDelaware11 since 2014 · 55 since 1953
U.S. average insurance$2,165annual premium across 50 states

States ranked by recent FEMA declarations (since 2014)

The "recent rate vs total rate" gap is the climate-acceleration story. Texas, California, Louisiana, and North Carolina lead recent volume — their per-capita rate vs. their cumulative-since-1953 rate shows how concentrated the last decade has been.

#StateRecent (since 2014)Total (since 1953)Recent / 1M PopulationNRI HazardInsurance PremiumMedian Home
1 Texas 1,382 5,424 46.6 Relatively High $3,875 $356,100
2 Kentucky 1,227 3,376 272.0 Relatively Moderate $2,624 $284,400
3 Louisiana 1,141 2,680 246.9 Relatively Moderate $3,600 $269,000
4 Florida 979 2,794 44.6 Relatively High $4,231 $421,500
5 Georgia 849 2,768 78.4 Relatively Moderate $2,330 $389,000
6 North Carolina 809 2,431 76.4 Relatively Moderate $2,074 $397,600
7 Mississippi 775 2,142 262.6 Relatively Low $2,756 $284,300
8 Tennessee 741 2,038 106.1 Relatively Moderate $2,423 $413,200
9 Maine 678 1,065 492.2 Very Low $1,369 $439,200
10 Virginia 572 2,756 66.1 Relatively Low $1,708 $499,300
11 Oklahoma 552 2,593 138.2 Relatively Moderate $4,334 $264,600
12 Arkansas 476 1,824 157.0 Relatively Low $2,562 $275,500
13 Kansas 466 1,915 158.6 Relatively Low $3,931 $316,300
14 Missouri 453 2,874 73.4 Relatively Moderate $2,417 $297,500
15 South Carolina 449 1,190 86.1 Relatively Moderate $2,297 $394,000
16 California 429 1,691 10.9 Very High $1,784 $887,400
17 Nebraska 385 1,603 195.8 Relatively Low $4,148 $319,100
18 Alabama 379 1,742 75.0 Relatively Moderate $2,738 $312,600
19 South Dakota 377 1,472 419.3 Relatively Low $2,734 $346,600
20 Washington 352 1,106 45.5 Relatively Moderate $1,417 $651,800
21 Minnesota 339 1,623 59.3 Relatively Moderate $2,007 $372,300
22 Iowa 330 1,926 103.3 Relatively Low $1,843 $258,700
23 Indiana 315 1,581 46.2 Relatively Moderate $1,648 $287,300
24 North Dakota 281 1,423 360.6 Very Low $2,329 $311,200
25 Michigan 260 856 25.9 Relatively Moderate $2,064 $297,900
26 New York 252 1,537 12.7 Relatively Moderate $1,844 $620,500
27 Illinois 249 1,313 19.6 Relatively High $2,087 $337,900
28 Montana 233 681 210.8 Relatively Low $2,341 $528,600
29 West Virginia 232 1,340 130.0 Relatively Low $1,494 $265,200
30 Oregon 226 659 53.3 Relatively Moderate $1,327 $525,500
31 New Mexico 195 544 92.2 Relatively Low $2,047 $395,500
32 Wisconsin 195 917 33.1 Relatively Moderate $1,502 $361,600
33 Ohio 187 1,292 15.9 Relatively Moderate $1,516 $282,600
34 Alaska 180 356 245.2 Relatively Low $1,300 $427,100
35 Colorado 168 671 28.9 Relatively Moderate $3,349 $617,000
36 Pennsylvania 160 1,252 12.3 Relatively Moderate $1,443 $330,200
37 Idaho 129 387 68.1 Relatively Low $1,360 $503,400
38 Vermont 127 405 196.8 Very Low $1,120 $448,400
39 Nevada 115 292 36.6 Relatively Low $1,591 $481,200
40 Arizona 106 347 14.6 Relatively Moderate $2,247 $453,800
41 Utah 105 268 31.5 Relatively Low $1,210 $560,200
42 New Jersey 104 627 11.2 Relatively Moderate $1,530 $579,900
43 Maryland 75 471 12.2 Relatively Low $1,776 $477,300
44 Connecticut 69 266 19.2 Relatively Low $2,028 $498,000
45 Wyoming 59 136 101.8 Very Low $1,708 $464,500
46 Massachusetts 56 415 8.0 Relatively Low $1,955 $688,100
47 New Hampshire 46 320 33.1 Very Low $1,270 $537,900
48 Rhode Island 34 123 31.0 Very Low $2,301 $536,900
49 Hawaii 32 114 22.1 Relatively Low $1,270 $741,300
50 Delaware 11 55 10.9 Very Low $1,376 $384,500

Method

  • Total declarations = all Stafford-Act federal disaster declarations 1953-present (FEMA OpenFEMA API).
  • Recent declarations = subset since 2014, capturing the climate-amplified frequency window most relevant to forward-looking insurance / mortgage / mortgage-payment planning.
  • Per capita = recent / population, then ×1,000,000. Normalizes for state size — California's absolute count is high partly because California is large.
  • Cross-reference NRI hazard. FEMA's National Risk Index synthesizes 18 perils into the rating shown. A state with high declaration frequency and only "Relatively Moderate" NRI is one where infrequent but severe events drive the count.

Sources: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, FEMA National Risk Index, NAIC, U.S. Census ACS.