WASHINGTON, DC-From raging wildfires to tornadoes, floods and hurricanes, the U.S. sees its share of natural disasters every year. The latest of these disasters, Hurricane Ian, may have done as much as $57 billion in damage to Florida and South Carolina. Nine other natural disasters have already caused over $1 billion in damage each during 2022.
Millions of Americans’ homes and workplaces are damaged or destroyed by severe weather each year, leaving people to rebuild while still dealing with mental and emotional scars. However, people in some states are much less prone to having to deal with these tragic events than others. In order to shed light on the states most impacted by natural disasters, WalletHub compared the 50 states across two key metrics. Those metrics are the number of climate disasters causing at least $1 billion in damage since 1980, as well as the loss amount per capita of those disasters.
To determine the states most impacted by natural disasters, WalletHub compared the 50 states across two key metrics. Those metrics are the number of climate disasters causing at least $1 billion in damage since 1980, as well as the loss amount per capita of those disasters.
Natural Disaster Impact in Alabama (1=Most, 25=Avg.):
- 1st – Number of Climate Disasters Causing $1 Billion+ in Damage (1980 – 2022)
- 11th – Loss Amount from Climate Disasters Causing $1 Billion+ in Damage per Capita (1980 – 2022)
States Most Impacted by Natural Disasters
| Overall Rank* | State | Total Score | Number of Climate Disasters Causing $1 Billion+ in Damage (1980-2022) | Loss Amount from Climate Disasters Causing $1 Billion+ in Damage per Capita (1980-2022) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | 97.50 | 7 | 1 |
| 2 | Louisiana | 94.50 | 11 | 1 |
| 3 | Texas | 83.97 | 1 | 8 |
| 4 | Iowa | 81.90 | 22 | 5 |
| 5 | Alabama | 75.81 | 1 | 11 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 73.28 | 6 | 12 |
| 7 | Kansas | 71.96 | 14 | 10 |
| 8 | North Carolina | 71.47 | 1 | 14 |
| 9 | Florida | 69.30 | 20 | 9 |
| 10 | Missouri | 68.87 | 7 | 15 |
| 11 | Nebraska | 67.54 | 25 | 6 |
| 12 | South Dakota | 65.00 | 38 | 1 |
| 13 | Tennessee | 60.50 | 9 | 21 |
| 14 | North Dakota | 60.50 | 45 | 1 |
| 15 | Illinois | 60.28 | 1 | 27 |
| 16 | Georgia | 59.95 | 1 | 28 |
| 17 | South Carolina | 59.92 | 13 | 16 |
| 18 | Arkansas | 59.29 | 14 | 18 |
| 19 | Montana | 56.21 | 35 | 7 |
| 20 | Virginia | 53.54 | 10 | 37 |
| 21 | Kentucky | 51.45 | 18 | 22 |
| 22 | Indiana | 51.09 | 16 | 25 |
| 23 | Colorado | 49.37 | 23 | 17 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | 48.83 | 12 | 42 |
| 25 | New York | 47.56 | 19 | 26 |
| 26 | New Jersey | 46.71 | 24 | 19 |
| 27 | Ohio | 46.33 | 16 | 41 |
| 28 | Maryland | 41.10 | 21 | 39 |
| 29 | Minnesota | 38.73 | 27 | 20 |
| 30 | Wyoming | 35.97 | 41 | 13 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | 32.85 | 26 | 32 |
| 32 | California | 31.56 | 29 | 31 |
| 33 | West Virginia | 31.21 | 30 | 24 |
| 34 | Connecticut | 26.16 | 31 | 36 |
| 35 | Oregon | 25.72 | 32 | 35 |
| 36 | Michigan | 25.31 | 28 | 47 |
| 37 | Idaho | 24.81 | 38 | 29 |
| 38 | New Mexico | 23.43 | 34 | 38 |
| 39 | Delaware | 23.32 | 35 | 34 |
| 40 | Massachusetts | 20.85 | 33 | 45 |
| 41 | Rhode Island | 20.35 | 41 | 40 |
| 42 | Washington | 18.20 | 35 | 49 |
| 43 | Arizona | 18.06 | 38 | 46 |
| 44 | Vermont | 17.20 | 47 | 30 |
| 45 | Nevada | 15.85 | 43 | 50 |
| 46 | Utah | 15.25 | 44 | 48 |
| 47 | Hawaii | 12.87 | 50 | 23 |
| 48 | New Hampshire | 12.38 | 46 | 43 |
| 49 | Alaska | 11.44 | 49 | 33 |
| 50 | Maine | 10.40 | 48 | 44 |
Notes: *No. 1 = Most Impacted by Natural Disasters
With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the highest number of climate disasters, and the highest loss amount from climate disasters, respectively.
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Centers for Environmental Information.
Media Release/WalletHub/Adam McCann, Financial Writer
