Colorado drought risk
Baca County has the highest drought risk in Colorado, scoring 96.9 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baca County | 96.9 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 2 | Prowers County | 95.5 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 3 | Rio Grande County | 92.4 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 4 | Alamosa County | 91.3 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 5 | Logan County | 89.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 6 | Otero County | 89.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 7 | Phillips County | 88.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 8 | Sedgwick County | 87.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 9 | Saguache County | 83.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 10 | Kiowa County | 82.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 11 | Conejos County | 75.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 12 | Cheyenne County | 74.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 13 | Mesa County | 73.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 14 | Montezuma County | 72.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 15 | Costilla County | 70.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 16 | Delta County | 68.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 17 | Bent County | 66.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 18 | Adams County | 63.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 19 | Lincoln County | 63.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 20 | Pueblo County | 58.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 21 | Montrose County | 58.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 22 | Yuma County | 51.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 23 | Las Animas County | 49.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 24 | Larimer County | 47.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 25 | La Plata County | 47.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 26 | Washington County | 46.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 27 | Dolores County | 45.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 28 | Arapahoe County | 44.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 29 | El Paso County | 44.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 30 | Garfield County | 42.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 31 | Fremont County | 39.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 32 | Boulder County | 38.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 33 | Weld County | 38.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 34 | Crowley County | 38 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 35 | Kit Carson County | 37.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 36 | Gunnison County | 34.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 37 | Rio Blanco County | 34.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 38 | Douglas County | 34.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 39 | Elbert County | 34.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 40 | Moffat County | 34.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 41 | Custer County | 32.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 42 | Routt County | 32.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 43 | Archuleta County | 30.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 44 | Chaffee County | 30.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 45 | Huerfano County | 30 | Very Low | 0 |
| 46 | Jefferson County | 27.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 47 | Grand County | 26.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 48 | Eagle County | 25.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 49 | Morgan County | 25 | Very Low | 0 |
| 50 | San Miguel County | 23.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 51 | Pitkin County | 22.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 52 | Ouray County | 22 | Very Low | 0 |
| 53 | Denver County | 21.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 54 | Broomfield County | 15.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 55 | Clear Creek County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 56 | Gilpin County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 57 | Hinsdale County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 58 | Jackson County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 59 | Lake County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 60 | Mineral County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 61 | Park County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 62 | San Juan County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 63 | Summit County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 64 | Teller 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 Colorado:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest drought risk county in Colorado?
Baca County, CO has the highest drought risk in Colorado, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 96.9 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes drought risk in Colorado?
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.