Safest places to live in California from natural disasters
The lowest natural-disaster risk in California is in Alpine County, Glenn County, Lassen County, where FEMA rates few or no severe perils. The most exposed county is Alameda County, driven by earthquake. This page ranks every California county by physical peril exposure, from official FEMA National Risk Index data.
Lowest-risk counties in California
| County | Physical risk | Top severe peril |
|---|---|---|
| Alpine County | Low | wildfire |
| Glenn County | Low | wildfire |
| Lassen County | Low | wildfire |
| Modoc County | Low | wildfire |
| Mono County | Low | wildfire |
| San Benito County | Low | wildfire |
| Sierra County | Low | wildfire |
| Yuba County | Low | wildfire |
Highest-risk counties in California
| County | Physical risk | Driven by |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | High | earthquake |
| Contra Costa County | High | riverine flooding |
| Del Norte County | High | tsunami |
| Los Angeles County | High | wildfire |
| Marin County | High | coastal flooding |
Dominant perils in California
Across California, the perils most often rated Relatively High or higher by FEMA are wildfire, earthquake, riverine flooding. County rankings reflect physical exposure, not dollar value, so a county can rank low here even if it is densely developed. For a specific property, the flood zone and exact peril ratings matter more than the county summary.
Look up any California address on the Safe Havens map, or read how Plattow scores risk and FEMA flood zones. See all states on the states index.