- Despite its reputation for high-profile disasters, Florida ranks just 26th nationally in the total number of federally declared disasters from 2011 to 2021
- While Florida experiences fewer disasters overall, the size of its storms results in substantial financial costs, averaging $754 million per disaster.
- But even then, the Sunshine State ranks just third in both total economic costs and cost per disaster.
Amidst a decade of rising national disaster frequency and severity, Florida — notorious for its high-profile hurricanes — may not be as disaster-prone as people think.
Thanks to sensational media coverage of monster hurricanes, Florida’s annual made-for-television disaster programming is a major factor contributing to the state’s reputation as a disaster hotspot. But new data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Housing and Urban Development agency (HUD), reveals that from 2011 to 2021, Florida, with only 11 disaster declarations over that span, ranks just 26th among U.S. states in the total number of federally declared disasters with over half of all U.S. states being more disaster-prone than the Sunshine State during that period.
Of course, while the state may experience fewer disasters overall, the sheer size of Florida’s storms more than make up for what they lack in frequency. The financial toll tells a somewhat different story, with Florida racking up a substantial $8.3 billion in FEMA and HUD costs, translating to an average cost of $754 million per disaster.
Surprisingly, though, those totals are only good enough for third place in both categories, behind both New York and Texas in terms of total and per-disaster costs. Despite having one disaster less than Texas in the last 10 years, New York’s disaster-related expenses were the highest, amounting to over $26 billion over the decade. The Empire State experienced a variety of disasters, too: including one hurricane, several tropical storms, and a large number of winter storms that cut power, downed trees and caused widespread traffic problems.
Most notably, New York’s cost per disaster averaged a staggering $1.8 billion, almost double that of Texas, which reported $14.8 billion in total costs for its 17 disasters.
Contrarily, California, despite declaring the highest number of disasters (25 in total), did not match the high costs seen in New York, Texas, or Florida. California’s disasters were predominantly wildfires, earthquakes, winter storms, and wind damage.
One key factor underpinning these variations in economic damage is population density, with larger states typically experiencing more costly disasters.
Oklahoma ranked 2nd in total disaster declarations, with 22 in all, primarily stemming from tornadoes, wildfires, and winter storms. But despite the high frequency, the state’s lower population density spared it from widespread economic damage, ranking the Sooner State around the midpoint for costs. Similarly, Mississippi, which ranked 3rd nationally in total disasters, with hurricanes and floods being the primary culprits, dropped to 33rd place when it came to economic damage.
One other notable data point from the report: nearly every corner of the country, affecting nine out of 10 U.S. counties, experienced a federally declared climate disaster between 2011 and 2021. In short: it doesn’t matter where one lives, no city, county or state is entirely safe from natural disasters.
Here’s the data:
| State | Climate disaster declarations, 2011-2021 | FEMA and HUD total cost ($) | Cost per capita, 2011-2021 ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 17 | 1.3 billion | 275 |
| Alaska | 15 | 294 million | 401 |
| Arizona | 5 | 12.6 million | 2 |
| Arkansas | 16 | 244 million | 81 |
| California | 25 | 6.2 billion | 157 |
| Colorado | 7 | 799 million | 141 |
| Connecticut | 10 | 532 million | 149 |
| Delaware | 5 | 13.6 million | 14 |
| Florida | 11 | 8.3 billion | 390 |
| Georgia | 11 | 675 million | 64 |
| Hawaii | 10 | 325 million | 229 |
| Idaho | 9 | 56.5 million | 32 |
| Illinois | 5 | 311 million | 24 |
| Indiana | 4 | 46.5 million | 57 |
| Iowa | 21 | 717 million | 228 |
| Kansas | 13 | 175 million | 60 |
| Kentucky | 16 | 470 million | 105 |
| Louisiana | 18 | 8.1 billion | 1,736 |
| Maine | 6 | 24 million | 18 |
| Maryland | 10 | 237 million | 39 |
| Massachusetts | 9 | 501 million | 73 |
| Michigan | 6 | 235 million | 23 |
| Minnesota | 11 | 276 million | 49 |
| Mississippi | 22 | 476 million | 159 |
| Missouri | 14 | 992 million | 162 |
| Montana | 12 | 67 million | 63 |
| Nebraska | 14 | 749 million | 390 |
| Nevada | 3 | 34 million | 11 |
| New Hampshire | 16 | 74 million | 55 |
| New Jersey | 13 | 7.2 billion | 815 |
| New Mexico | 10 | 203 million | 97 |
| New York | 16 | 26.3 billion | 1,348 |
| North Carolina | 15 | 2.5 billion | 243 |
| North Dakota | 13 | 561 million | 738 |
| Ohio | 6 | 225 million | 19 |
| Oklahoma | 22 | 849 million | 215 |
| Oregon | 12 | 879 million | 210 |
| Pennsylvania | 9 | 630 million | 49 |
| Rhode Island | 4 | 56.3 million | 53 |
| South Carolina | 8 | 1.5 billion | 289 |
| South Dakota | 13 | 237 million | 269 |
| Tennessee | 20 | 657 million | 97 |
| Texas | 17 | 14.8 billion | 518 |
| Utah | 7 | 36.1 million | 11 |
| Vermont | 17 | 370 million | 593 |
| Virginia | 11 | 417 million | 49 |
| Washington | 16 | 267 million | 36 |
| West Virginia | 17 | 870 million | 481 |
| Wisconsin | 10 | 154 million | 27 |
| Wyoming | 4 | 18.4 million | 32 |
Source: Atlas of Disaster courtesy of Rebuild by Design, a disaster recovery nonprofit organization.