🫨 Hazard category
Earthquakes risk by state
Earthquakes strike without warning, and significant seismic zones exist far beyond the West Coast.
Earthquakes strike without warning, and significant seismic zones exist far beyond the West Coast.
How to prepare your home
- Secure heavy furniture, water heaters and appliances to walls.
- Know how to shut off gas, water and electricity.
- Practice Drop, Cover and Hold On with your household.
- Consider a seismic retrofit for older homes, especially cripple-wall foundations.
- Standard homeowners insurance excludes earthquakes — evaluate separate coverage.
Official sources
All states ranked by earthquakes risk
Alaska
Alaska is the most seismically active state in the U.S., with earthquakes occurring daily due to its position…
California
California is one of the most earthquake-prone states in the nation, with active faults running through…
Washington
Washington is one of the highest-risk states for earthquakes in the U.S., with a combination of offshore…
Nevada
Nevada is one of the most earthquake-prone states in the US, with active faults scattered throughout the…
Oregon
Oregon faces a high level of earthquake risk (level 4 of 5), driven primarily by the Cascadia Subduction Zone…
Utah
Utah faces a significant earthquake risk, particularly along the Wasatch Front, where the majority of the…
Arkansas
Arkansas faces a moderate earthquake risk, driven primarily by its location within the New Madrid Seismic…
Hawaii
Hawaii faces a moderate (level 3 of 5) earthquake risk, with thousands of quakes each year, many linked to…
Idaho
Idaho faces moderate earthquake risk, with most seismic activity concentrated in the central and eastern…
Kentucky
Kentucky faces a moderate level 3 earthquake risk, primarily due to its proximity to the New Madrid and…
Missouri
Missouri faces a moderate earthquake risk, primarily from the New Madrid Seismic Zone in the southeastern…
Montana
Montana experiences moderate earthquake activity, with the highest risk in the western part of the state near…
South Carolina
South Carolina has a moderate risk of earthquakes, with most seismic activity concentrated in the Charleston…
Tennessee
Tennessee faces a moderate earthquake risk (level 3 of 5) driven by the New Madrid Seismic Zone in the west…
Wyoming
Wyoming faces a moderate (level 3 of 5) earthquake risk, with the greatest activity concentrated in the…
Alabama
Alabama has a low to moderate earthquake risk (level 2 of 5). While most earthquakes in the state are small…
Arizona
Arizona faces a relatively low to moderate earthquake hazard (level 2 of 5) compared with other western…
Colorado
Colorado experiences relatively few earthquakes compared to western states like California, but the risk is…
Connecticut
Earthquakes are an infrequent but real hazard in Connecticut. The state is rated level 2 out of 5 on FEMA's…
Georgia
Georgia has a low to moderate earthquake risk, rated level 2 out of 5. Most earthquakes in the state are…
Illinois
Illinois has a low to moderate earthquake risk, rated level 2 of 5. The greatest hazard lies in the southern…
Indiana
Indiana has a low to moderate earthquake risk, rated level 2 out of 5, with most seismic activity occurring…
Maine
Maine has a relatively low but real earthquake risk, rated level 2 out of 5 by FEMA. While the state is far…
Massachusetts
Massachusetts has a low to moderate earthquake risk, rated level 2 of 5. While large earthquakes are rare,…
Mississippi
Mississippi has a low but nonzero earthquake risk, rated Level 2 of 5 by FEMA. The state sits away from major…
New Hampshire
New Hampshire has a moderate-to-low earthquake risk, rated level 2 out of 5. While damaging earthquakes are…
New Mexico
New Mexico has a moderate earthquake risk, rated level 2 of 5, with most activity tied to the Rio Grande…
New York
New York has a low but real earthquake risk, rated level 2 of 5 in the National Risk Index. The state…
North Carolina
North Carolina has a level 2 of 5 earthquake risk. While earthquakes are rare and usually minor, they can…
Ohio
Ohio has a relatively low risk of damaging earthquakes, rated Level 2 out of 5. Most seismic activity is…
Oklahoma
Oklahoma faces a moderate earthquake risk, rated Level 2 of 5, primarily driven by induced seismicity from…
Vermont
Vermont has a low to moderate earthquake risk, rated 2 out of 5 by FEMA. While no major destructive…
Virginia
Virginia experiences occasional earthquakes, most notably the 2011 magnitude 5.8 event near Mineral. The…
Delaware
Delaware has an extremely low earthquake risk, rated level 1 out of 5 by FEMA. Minor tremors are possible but…
District of Columbia
The District of Columbia faces a low earthquake hazard, rated level 1 of 5, but the risk is not zero. While…
Florida
Florida has an extremely low earthquake risk, rated Level 1 out of 5, because the state is not located near…
Iowa
Iowa has a very low earthquake hazard, rated level 1 out of 5, but small earthquakes can still occur in the…
Kansas
Kansas has a low overall earthquake risk, rated level 1 of 5, but the state is not completely free from…
Louisiana
Louisiana faces a very low earthquake hazard, rated level 1 out of 5, meaning the chance of damaging shaking…
Maryland
Maryland has a low earthquake risk, rated Level 1 on FEMA's National Risk Index. While minor tremors are…
Michigan
Michigan has a very low earthquake hazard, rated Level 1 of 5, meaning damaging earthquakes are unlikely but…
Minnesota
Minnesota has a very low earthquake risk, rated level 1 out of 5. Earthquakes are rare and typically too…
Nebraska
Nebraska has a very low earthquake risk, rated Level 1 of 5 by FEMA's National Risk Index. The state is far…
New Jersey
New Jersey has a low earthquake risk, rated Level 1 out of 5 by FEMA's National Risk Index. While small…
North Dakota
North Dakota has one of the lowest earthquake hazards in the United States, rated level 1 of 5. While…
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has very low earthquake risk, rated level 1 out of 5. While minor tremors are possible, the…
Rhode Island
Rhode Island has a very low risk of earthquakes, rated level 1 out of 5. While small tremors are possible,…
South Dakota
South Dakota has a very low earthquake risk, rated level 1 out of 5 by FEMA. While occasional minor tremors…
Texas
Texas has a low risk of earthquakes overall, but localized seismic activity occurs, often linked to oil and…
West Virginia
West Virginia is rated Level 1 of 5 for earthquake risk, meaning earthquakes are very unlikely to cause…
Wisconsin
Earthquakes are extremely rare in Wisconsin, which has one of the lowest seismic hazard levels in the nation.…
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