Top 7 US Cities with Lowest Risk of Natural Disasters

Natural disasters are becoming more severe – and more common.

As wildfires and hurricanes become more devastating, some Americans are choosing to move.

Moving to a lower-risk city could make you and your family safer. It could also cut homeowners insurance premiums in half.

Which US cities have the lowest risk of natural disasters? Let’s find out.

Natural Disaster Risk Factors

Why do some cities have a lower risk of natural disasters than others?

Here are some of the natural disaster risk factors influencing the rankings below.

• CoreLogic Scores: Property data firm CoreLogic recently compiled a list of the safest ZIP codes in the United States based on their proprietary “Risk Score.” CoreLogic’s Risk Score uses property data, replacement costs, and local natural disaster risks to separate safe ZIP codes from unsafe ZIP codes. We considered CoreLogic’s 2025 statistics in our rankings above.
• Climate Disaster Risk: What is the annual likelihood of experiencing a climate disaster in your ZIP code? Does your area face a single major risk – like wildfire damage from living in the middle of a forest? Or are there diverse risks throughout the year – like wildfires in the summer and flooding in the spring?
• Increasing or Decreasing Risk: Homeowners in the southeastern United States are facing skyrocketing homeowners insurance rates because of the increased risk of hurricanes, flooding, and rising sea levels. In other parts of the country, homeowners insurance premiums are stable. Is risk going up or down in your area?
• Livability & Other Factors: Living on a remote island in Alaska can eliminate your risk of hurricane damage. Living in the Arctic, north of the tree line, can eliminate your risk of wildfire damage. But these living situations aren’t for everyone. That’s why we considered livability in our rankings.

Top 7 Cities with Lowest Natural Disaster Risk

According to the factors above, the cities below, in no particular order, have the lowest risk of natural disasters in the United States:

1. Detroit, Michigan
   Winter storms are the only significant disaster risk facing residents of Detroit, Michigan. The city had some of the safest ZIP codes for natural disaster risk according to CoreLogic’s rankings, as did surrounding suburbs like Dearborn and Warren.
   Detroit is also one of the most affordable cities on the list, with median home prices of $100,000 to $250,000.
   The last major weather disaster to hit Detroit was the 2014 deep freeze: Detroit received 94.9” of snow and plummeting temperatures from cold Arctic air, blasting away the previous record of 38.4” of snow from February 1908.
2. El Paso, Texas
   El Paso is one of the sunniest cities in the United States, receiving around 300 days of sunshine per year. All of that sun leads to warm temperatures but a relatively low risk of natural disasters.
   The last major natural disaster to hit El Paso was in 2006 when the city received around 20” of rain – more than twice the average annual amount – causing $200 million in damage to businesses and homeowners.
3. Spokane, Washington
   Spokane’s summers are becoming increasingly smoky because of local wildfires – but these wildfires don’t tend to impact the Spokane metropolitan area itself. It’s no surprise to see both Spokane and the neighboring Spokane Valley on CoreLogic’s list of the safest cities in the United States for natural disasters.
   Nevertheless, rising temperatures could push Spokane out of these rankings in the future. The 2021 heat dome led to 157 deaths across Washington state – including a significant number of deaths in the warmer, eastern half of Washington. According to the Gonzaga Climate Institute, there were 19 heat-related deaths in Spokane County caused by the heat dome between June 26 and July 2, 2021.
4. San Diego, California
   San Diego, California is known for having some of the best weather in the country – including a mild but warm year-round climate. It’s also known for having a relatively low risk of natural disasters.
   Wildfires continue to be a risk throughout California – including in the San Diego metro area. As the city of San Diego explains, wildfire season is 365 days a year, and fires can occur even within city limits. In October 2007, 8 San Diego residents were killed in the Harris Fire, which burned 90,440 acres after igniting near the border with Mexico.
5. Portland, Oregon
   The Portland, Oregon metro area is one of the lowest-risk cities in the United States for natural disasters.
   Portland and surrounding cities like Vancouver (Washington) and Hillsboro (Oregon) scored high on CoreLogic’s ZIP code rankings.
   The greatest risk to the Portland metro area is flooding. In 1996, the Willamette River and Columbia River flooded and caused extensive damage. It was the last major natural disaster to hit the region and the largest flood in Portland’s history.
6. Las Vegas, Nevada
   Located in the middle of the desert, Las Vegas is one of the safest cities in the United States. The only major risk in Las Vegas, in fact, is from rain: if it rains heavily in Las Vegas, the region can flood.
   One of the most serious inland flood events in Las Vegas history occurred in 1999, when Las Vegas received roughly 50% of its annual rainfall in just one day. The city received up to 3” of rain in some areas, damaging hundreds of homes.
7. Most of Ohio, Ohio
   Want to stay safe from natural disasters? Consider moving to Ohio.
   In a 2024 Realtor.com ranking, 6 of the 10 safest cities in the United States for natural disaster risk were in Ohio. Those cities included major Ohio cities and their suburbs:
   – Akron, OH
   – Cleveland, OH
   – Columbus, OH
   – Cincinnati, OH
   – Dayton, OH
   – Toledo, OH
   In these cities, roughly 82 to 91% of homes are in the lowest risk category for natural disasters. Ohio has a relatively mild climate without the extreme heat, wind, flood, or wildfire risk seen in other parts of the country.
8. Honorable Mentions
   Other low and medium-risk regions of the United States for natural disasters include:
   – Many metro areas around the Great Lakes
   – Western New York
   – Many parts of Pennsylvania
   – Northern Virginia and parts of Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, DC
   – Wyoming
   – Connecticut

Should You Move?

Natural disaster risk is one of many factors to consider when making a move.

Some of the cities above score high marks for livability. Others do not. Some have a low risk of natural disasters but a high risk of other events. No city is perfect.

Even the low-risk cities, meanwhile, periodically experience devastating climate events.

All it takes is a single unexpected wildfire, storm, or severe weather event to erase the reputation of a low-risk city.

Western North Carolina and other parts of Appalachia, for example, used to frequently appear on lists like this – only to have that reputation erased after Hurricane Helene in 2024.