California drought risk
Fresno County has the highest drought risk in California, scoring 100 out of 100 — rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fresno County | 100 | Very High | 0 |
| 2 | Monterey County | 100 | Very High | 0 |
| 3 | Madera County | 99.9 | Very High | 0 |
| 4 | Merced County | 99.9 | Very High | 0 |
| 5 | San Joaquin County | 99.9 | Very High | 0 |
| 6 | Santa Barbara County | 99.8 | Very High | 0 |
| 7 | Stanislaus County | 99.8 | Very High | 0 |
| 8 | Butte County | 99.7 | Very High | 0 |
| 9 | Colusa County | 99.7 | Very High | 0 |
| 10 | Kings County | 99.7 | Very High | 0 |
| 11 | San Luis Obispo County | 99.6 | Very High | 0 |
| 12 | Sutter County | 99.6 | Very High | 0 |
| 13 | Yolo County | 99.6 | Very High | 0 |
| 14 | Glenn County | 99.5 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 15 | Napa County | 99.5 | Very High | 0 |
| 16 | Sacramento County | 99.4 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 17 | Santa Cruz County | 99.4 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 18 | Solano County | 99.3 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 19 | Sonoma County | 99.3 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 20 | Santa Clara County | 99.2 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 21 | Amador County | 99.1 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 22 | Yuba County | 99 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 23 | Siskiyou County | 98.9 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 24 | Tehama County | 98.8 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 25 | Calaveras County | 98.3 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 26 | Mendocino County | 97.4 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 27 | San Benito County | 97 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 28 | Modoc County | 96.5 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 29 | Lake County | 95.9 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 30 | Contra Costa County | 94.6 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 31 | Kern County | 94.5 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 32 | San Mateo County | 92.1 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 33 | Tulare County | 88.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 34 | Placer County | 87.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 35 | Alameda County | 85.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 36 | Lassen County | 83.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 37 | Ventura County | 80.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 38 | Humboldt County | 78.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 39 | Mono County | 78.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 40 | El Dorado County | 77.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 41 | Shasta County | 76.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 42 | Mariposa County | 75.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 43 | Tuolumne County | 74.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 44 | San Francisco County | 69.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 45 | Imperial County | 69.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 46 | San Diego County | 59.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 47 | Plumas County | 57.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 48 | Riverside County | 55.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 49 | Marin County | 51.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 50 | Los Angeles County | 43.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 51 | Del Norte County | 40 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 52 | Sierra County | 35.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 53 | San Bernardino County | 33.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 54 | Orange County | 32.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 55 | Inyo County | 23.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 56 | Alpine County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 57 | Nevada County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 58 | Trinity County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Drought risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in California:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest drought risk county in California?
Fresno County, CA has the highest drought risk in California, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 100 out of 100 (rated "Very High").
How many counties in California are rated Very High for drought risk?
14 of 58 scored California counties are rated "Very High" for drought risk by FEMA's National Risk Index.
What causes drought risk in California?
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.