Michigan drought risk
St. Joseph County has the highest drought risk in Michigan, scoring 62 out of 100 — rated "Relatively Low" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Joseph County | 62 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 2 | Branch County | 60.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 3 | Lenawee County | 36.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 4 | Hillsdale County | 35.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 5 | Iron County | 24.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 6 | Cass County | 23.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 7 | Ontonagon County | 22.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 8 | Delta County | 21.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 9 | Baraga County | 20.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 10 | Houghton County | 20.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 11 | Dickinson County | 19.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 12 | Menominee County | 18.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 13 | Marquette County | 17.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 14 | Alger County | 16.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 15 | Gogebic County | 13.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 16 | Luce County | 13.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 17 | Schoolcraft County | 13.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 18 | Keweenaw County | 12.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 19 | Alcona County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 20 | Allegan County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 21 | Alpena County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 22 | Antrim County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 23 | Arenac County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 24 | Barry County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 25 | Bay County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 26 | Benzie County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 27 | Berrien County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 28 | Calhoun County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 29 | Charlevoix County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 30 | Cheboygan County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 31 | Chippewa County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 32 | Clare County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 33 | Clinton County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 34 | Crawford County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 35 | Eaton County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 36 | Emmet County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 37 | Genesee County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 38 | Gladwin County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 39 | Grand Traverse County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 40 | Gratiot County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 41 | Huron County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 42 | Ingham County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 43 | Ionia County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 44 | Iosco County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 45 | Isabella County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 46 | Jackson County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 47 | Kalamazoo County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 48 | Kalkaska County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 49 | Kent County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 50 | Lake County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 51 | Lapeer County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 52 | Leelanau County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 53 | Livingston County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 54 | Mackinac County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 55 | Macomb County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 56 | Manistee County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 57 | Mason County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 58 | Mecosta County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 59 | Midland County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 60 | Missaukee County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 61 | Monroe County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 62 | Montcalm County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 63 | Montmorency County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 64 | Muskegon County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 65 | Newaygo County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 66 | Oakland County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 67 | Oceana County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 68 | Ogemaw County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 69 | Osceola County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 70 | Oscoda County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 71 | Otsego County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 72 | Ottawa County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 73 | Presque Isle County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 74 | Roscommon County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 75 | Saginaw County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 76 | St. Clair County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 77 | Sanilac County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 78 | Shiawassee County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 79 | Tuscola County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 80 | Van Buren County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 81 | Washtenaw County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 82 | Wayne County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 83 | Wexford 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 Michigan:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest drought risk county in Michigan?
St. Joseph County, MI has the highest drought risk in Michigan, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 62 out of 100 (rated "Relatively Low").
What causes drought risk in Michigan?
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.