Safest places to live in Illinois from natural disasters
The lowest natural-disaster risk in Illinois is in Bond County, Brown County, Calhoun County, where FEMA rates few or no severe perils. The most exposed county is Cook County, driven by tornado. This page ranks every Illinois county by physical peril exposure, from official FEMA National Risk Index data.
Lowest-risk counties in Illinois
| County | Physical risk | Top severe peril |
|---|---|---|
| Bond County | Low | none rated high |
| Brown County | Low | none rated high |
| Calhoun County | Low | none rated high |
| Carroll County | Low | none rated high |
| Cass County | Low | none rated high |
| Clark County | Low | none rated high |
| Clay County | Low | none rated high |
| Crawford County | Low | none rated high |
Highest-risk counties in Illinois
| County | Physical risk | Driven by |
|---|---|---|
| Cook County | High | tornado |
| DuPage County | High | tornado |
| Lake County | High | tornado |
| Will County | High | tornado |
| Champaign County | Elevated | tornado |
Dominant perils in Illinois
Across Illinois, the perils most often rated Relatively High or higher by FEMA are tornado. 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 Illinois address on the Safe Havens map, or read how Plattow scores risk and FEMA flood zones. See all states on the states index.