Safest places to live in Washington from natural disasters
The lowest natural-disaster risk in Washington is in Adams County, Columbia County, Garfield County, where FEMA rates few or no severe perils. The most exposed county is Grays Harbor County, driven by tsunami. This page ranks every Washington county by physical peril exposure, from official FEMA National Risk Index data.
Lowest-risk counties in Washington
| County | Physical risk | Top severe peril |
|---|---|---|
| Adams County | Low | none rated high |
| Columbia County | Low | none rated high |
| Garfield County | Low | none rated high |
| San Juan County | Low | none rated high |
| Asotin County | Low | wildfire |
| Benton County | Low | wildfire |
| Clallam County | Low | earthquake |
| Clark County | Low | earthquake |
Highest-risk counties in Washington
| County | Physical risk | Driven by |
|---|---|---|
| Grays Harbor County | High | tsunami |
| King County | High | earthquake |
| Pacific County | High | tsunami |
| Snohomish County | High | landslide |
| Chelan County | Elevated | wildfire |
Dominant perils in Washington
Across Washington, the perils most often rated Relatively High or higher by FEMA are wildfire, earthquake, volcanic activity. 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 Washington address on the Safe Havens map, or read how Plattow scores risk and FEMA flood zones. See all states on the states index.