Indiana heat wave risk
Marion County has the highest heat wave risk in Indiana, scoring 98.7 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded heat wave events across Indiana have increased 107% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marion County | 98.7 | Relatively High | 2 |
| 2 | Vanderburgh County | 93.4 | Relatively Moderate | 35 |
| 3 | Lake County | 92.8 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 4 | Hamilton County | 86 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 5 | Tippecanoe County | 85.9 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 6 | Monroe County | 84.6 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 7 | Vigo County | 83.2 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 8 | St. Joseph County | 79.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 9 | Grant County | 76.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 10 | Hendricks County | 75.9 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 11 | Warrick County | 75.8 | Relatively Low | 35 |
| 12 | Madison County | 74.1 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 13 | Elkhart County | 72.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 14 | Allen County | 72.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 15 | Porter County | 70.4 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 16 | Howard County | 69.1 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 17 | Gibson County | 68.8 | Relatively Low | 34 |
| 18 | LaPorte County | 67.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 19 | Daviess County | 66.3 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 20 | Johnson County | 65.6 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 21 | Adams County | 65.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 22 | Dubois County | 63.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 23 | Cass County | 63.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 24 | Morgan County | 63.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 25 | Knox County | 62.5 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 26 | Lawrence County | 62.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 27 | Floyd County | 61.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 28 | Bartholomew County | 60.8 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 29 | Greene County | 59.7 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 30 | Clark County | 59.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 31 | Posey County | 58.4 | Relatively Low | 36 |
| 32 | Kosciusko County | 57.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 33 | Boone County | 55.9 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 34 | Huntington County | 55.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 35 | Spencer County | 54.7 | Relatively Low | 34 |
| 36 | Montgomery County | 53.7 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 37 | Whitley County | 53.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 38 | Putnam County | 52.4 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 39 | Miami County | 51.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 40 | Harrison County | 51 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 41 | Orange County | 50.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 42 | Owen County | 49.8 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 43 | Clay County | 49.5 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 44 | Wayne County | 49.5 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 45 | Pike County | 49.1 | Relatively Low | 32 |
| 46 | Clinton County | 48.9 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 47 | Wells County | 47.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 48 | Perry County | 47.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 49 | Jackson County | 47.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 50 | Sullivan County | 47.2 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 51 | Hancock County | 45.7 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 52 | Parke County | 45.2 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 53 | Washington County | 44.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 54 | Marshall County | 44 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 55 | Crawford County | 43.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 56 | White County | 43.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 57 | Jasper County | 41.4 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 58 | Shelby County | 40.4 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 59 | Wabash County | 39.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 60 | Vermillion County | 38.4 | Very Low | 1 |
| 61 | LaGrange County | 38 | Very Low | 0 |
| 62 | Fountain County | 37.7 | Very Low | 1 |
| 63 | Fulton County | 37.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 64 | Blackford County | 36.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 65 | Carroll County | 36.3 | Very Low | 1 |
| 66 | Dearborn County | 35.8 | Very Low | 3 |
| 67 | Martin County | 35.7 | Very Low | 1 |
| 68 | Delaware County | 35.5 | Very Low | 1 |
| 69 | Starke County | 35.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 70 | Ripley County | 33.3 | Very Low | 3 |
| 71 | Brown County | 33 | Very Low | 1 |
| 72 | Jefferson County | 32.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 73 | Scott County | 31.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 74 | Pulaski County | 30.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 75 | Jennings County | 29.1 | Very Low | 1 |
| 76 | Noble County | 28.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 77 | Tipton County | 28.5 | Very Low | 2 |
| 78 | Newton County | 27.6 | Very Low | 5 |
| 79 | Steuben County | 27 | Very Low | 0 |
| 80 | Fayette County | 26.6 | Very Low | 2 |
| 81 | Henry County | 26.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 82 | DeKalb County | 25.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 83 | Franklin County | 23.9 | Very Low | 3 |
| 84 | Warren County | 23.1 | Very Low | 1 |
| 85 | Benton County | 22.3 | Very Low | 5 |
| 86 | Decatur County | 20.8 | Very Low | 1 |
| 87 | Switzerland County | 19.9 | Very Low | 3 |
| 88 | Randolph County | 18.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 89 | Jay County | 16.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 90 | Rush County | 15.9 | Very Low | 1 |
| 91 | Ohio County | 11.8 | Very Low | 3 |
| 92 | Union County | 11.6 | Very Low | 2 |
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.
Heat Wave risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Indiana:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest heat wave risk county in Indiana?
Marion County, IN has the highest heat wave risk in Indiana, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 98.7 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes heat wave risk in Indiana?
Heat is consistently the leading cause of weather-related mortality in the US, yet it remains underrepresented in federal disaster declarations relative to its actual impact. High scores reflect a combination of extreme temperature exposure, population vulnerability (elderly, outdoor workers), and limited access to cooling infrastructure.