South Carolina drought risk
Orangeburg County has the highest drought risk in South Carolina, scoring 75.4 out of 100 — rated "Relatively Moderate" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orangeburg County | 75.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 2 | York County | 67.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 3 | Hampton County | 67.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 4 | Edgefield County | 63.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 5 | Lexington County | 63.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 6 | Saluda County | 62.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 7 | Spartanburg County | 60.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 8 | Calhoun County | 60.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 9 | Aiken County | 58.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 10 | Allendale County | 57.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 11 | Bamberg County | 56.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 12 | Barnwell County | 54.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 13 | Chesterfield County | 54.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 14 | Darlington County | 54 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 15 | Marlboro County | 51.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 16 | Clarendon County | 50.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 17 | Anderson County | 50.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 18 | Laurens County | 50.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 19 | Cherokee County | 49.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 20 | Colleton County | 49.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 21 | Florence County | 49.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 22 | Lee County | 48.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 23 | Horry County | 48.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 24 | Greenville County | 48.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 25 | Sumter County | 47.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 26 | Jasper County | 47 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 27 | Dillon County | 46.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 28 | Oconee County | 45.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 29 | Williamsburg County | 45.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 30 | Beaufort County | 43.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 31 | Newberry County | 43.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 32 | Chester County | 40.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 33 | Richland County | 38.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 34 | Pickens County | 37.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 35 | Marion County | 36.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 36 | Abbeville County | 35.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 37 | Charleston County | 35.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 38 | Greenwood County | 33.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 39 | Lancaster County | 30.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 40 | Georgetown County | 28 | Very Low | 0 |
| 41 | Dorchester County | 27.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 42 | Fairfield County | 27.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 43 | Union County | 27.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 44 | Kershaw County | 23.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 45 | Berkeley County | 21.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 46 | McCormick 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 South Carolina:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest drought risk county in South Carolina?
Orangeburg County, SC has the highest drought risk in South Carolina, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 75.4 out of 100 (rated "Relatively Moderate").
What causes drought risk in South Carolina?
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.