Top counties by drought risk
Drought risk captures expected annual losses from prolonged precipitation deficits affecting agriculture, water supply, and ecosystems. High scores cover the western Great Plains, Southwest, and California's Central Valley. Climate change is increasing drought frequency and severity across much of the US, with multi-year droughts becoming more common in the West.
3,144 counties scored 17 rated Very High Showing top 50
| # | County | State | NRI score | Rating | NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fresno County | CA | 100 | Very High | 0 |
| 2 | Monterey County | CA | 100 | Very High | 0 |
| 3 | Madera County | CA | 99.9 | Very High | 0 |
| 4 | Merced County | CA | 99.9 | Very High | 0 |
| 5 | San Joaquin County | CA | 99.9 | Very High | 0 |
| 6 | Santa Barbara County | CA | 99.8 | Very High | 0 |
| 7 | Stanislaus County | CA | 99.8 | Very High | 0 |
| 8 | Lubbock County | TX | 99.8 | Very High | 0 |
| 9 | Butte County | CA | 99.7 | Very High | 0 |
| 10 | Colusa County | CA | 99.7 | Very High | 0 |
| 11 | Kings County | CA | 99.7 | Very High | 0 |
| 12 | Parmer County | TX | 99.7 | Very High | 0 |
| 13 | San Luis Obispo County | CA | 99.6 | Very High | 0 |
| 14 | Sutter County | CA | 99.6 | Very High | 0 |
| 15 | Yolo County | CA | 99.6 | Very High | 0 |
| 16 | Glenn County | CA | 99.5 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 17 | Napa County | CA | 99.5 | Very High | 0 |
| 18 | Warren County | MS | 99.5 | Very High | 0 |
| 19 | Sacramento County | CA | 99.4 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 20 | Santa Cruz County | CA | 99.4 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 21 | Doña Ana County | NM | 99.4 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 22 | Solano County | CA | 99.3 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 23 | Sonoma County | CA | 99.3 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 24 | Cimarron County | OK | 99.3 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 25 | Santa Clara County | CA | 99.2 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 26 | Stevens County | KS | 99.2 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 27 | Dallam County | TX | 99.2 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 28 | Amador County | CA | 99.1 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 29 | Fannin County | TX | 99.1 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 30 | Moore County | TX | 99.1 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 31 | Yuba County | CA | 99 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 32 | San Juan County | NM | 99 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 33 | Texas County | OK | 99 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 34 | Wilbarger County | TX | 99 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 35 | Siskiyou County | CA | 98.9 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 36 | Chaves County | NM | 98.9 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 37 | Hansford County | TX | 98.9 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 38 | Tehama County | CA | 98.8 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 39 | Hall County | TX | 98.8 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 40 | Hutchinson County | TX | 98.8 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 41 | Gordon County | GA | 98.7 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 42 | Davis County | IA | 98.7 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 43 | Harper County | OK | 98.7 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 44 | Mississippi County | AR | 98.6 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 45 | Chester County | PA | 98.6 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 46 | Hidalgo County | TX | 98.6 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 47 | Beaver County | OK | 98.5 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 48 | Lipscomb County | TX | 98.5 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 49 | Sherman County | TX | 98.5 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 50 | Crawford County | IA | 98.4 | Relatively High | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties — a score of 95 means this county's expected annual loss from drought exceeds 95% of all other counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all 3,144 scored counties.
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