Safest places to live in North Carolina from natural disasters
The lowest natural-disaster risk in North Carolina is in Camden County, Caswell County, Currituck County, where FEMA rates few or no severe perils. The most exposed county is Brunswick County, driven by hurricane. This page ranks every North Carolina county by physical peril exposure, from official FEMA National Risk Index data.
Lowest-risk counties in North Carolina
| County | Physical risk | Top severe peril |
|---|---|---|
| Camden County | Low | none rated high |
| Caswell County | Low | none rated high |
| Currituck County | Low | none rated high |
| Gates County | Low | none rated high |
| Person County | Low | none rated high |
| Stokes County | Low | none rated high |
| Vance County | Low | none rated high |
| Yadkin County | Low | none rated high |
Highest-risk counties in North Carolina
| County | Physical risk | Driven by |
|---|---|---|
| Brunswick County | High | hurricane |
| Carteret County | High | hurricane |
| Craven County | High | hurricane |
| New Hanover County | High | hurricane |
| Onslow County | High | hurricane |
Dominant perils in North Carolina
Across North Carolina, the perils most often rated Relatively High or higher by FEMA are hurricane, tornado, landslide. 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 North Carolina address on the Safe Havens map, or read how Plattow scores risk and FEMA flood zones. See all states on the states index.