Minnesota inland flooding risk
Hennepin County has the highest inland flooding risk in Minnesota, scoring 98 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded inland flooding events across Minnesota have decreased 47% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hennepin County | 98 | Relatively High | 17 |
| 2 | Ramsey County | 93.8 | Relatively High | 4 |
| 3 | Anoka County | 92 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 4 | St. Louis County | 91.8 | Relatively Moderate | 70 |
| 5 | Stearns County | 90.9 | Relatively Moderate | 3 |
| 6 | Dakota County | 88.7 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 7 | Olmsted County | 86.9 | Relatively Moderate | 18 |
| 8 | Crow Wing County | 84.2 | Relatively Moderate | 10 |
| 9 | Washington County | 83.5 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 10 | Otter Tail County | 83.4 | Relatively Moderate | 12 |
| 11 | Clay County | 82.4 | Relatively Moderate | 11 |
| 12 | Morrison County | 80.2 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 13 | Winona County | 78.8 | Relatively Moderate | 52 |
| 14 | Rice County | 77.4 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 15 | Itasca County | 75.4 | Relatively Moderate | 16 |
| 16 | Mower County | 75 | Relatively Moderate | 34 |
| 17 | Wright County | 74.7 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 18 | Scott County | 73 | Relatively Moderate | 3 |
| 19 | Beltrami County | 72.6 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 20 | Polk County | 69.8 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 21 | Aitkin County | 69.4 | Relatively Low | 14 |
| 22 | Pine County | 69.3 | Relatively Low | 15 |
| 23 | Pennington County | 67.8 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 24 | Fillmore County | 66.2 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 25 | Blue Earth County | 65.9 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 26 | Carlton County | 64 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 27 | Cass County | 63.2 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 28 | Sherburne County | 62.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 29 | Benton County | 61.7 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 30 | Wabasha County | 61.1 | Relatively Low | 36 |
| 31 | Carver County | 60.4 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 32 | Roseau County | 60 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 33 | Lyon County | 57.2 | Relatively Low | 44 |
| 34 | Todd County | 56.2 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 35 | Chisago County | 55.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 36 | Hubbard County | 54.6 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 37 | Goodhue County | 53.6 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 38 | Koochiching County | 52.3 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 39 | Becker County | 52.2 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 40 | Kandiyohi County | 52.2 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 41 | Nicollet County | 50.3 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 42 | Freeborn County | 49.1 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 43 | Faribault County | 49 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 44 | Nobles County | 48.5 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 45 | Douglas County | 48.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 46 | McLeod County | 46.5 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 47 | Chippewa County | 46.3 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 48 | Mille Lacs County | 46.2 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 49 | Houston County | 46 | Relatively Low | 17 |
| 50 | Brown County | 44.5 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 51 | Isanti County | 44 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 52 | Steele County | 42.2 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 53 | Renville County | 39.4 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 54 | Martin County | 39.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 55 | Redwood County | 39.3 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 56 | Pope County | 36.7 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 57 | Swift County | 36.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 58 | Meeker County | 36.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 59 | Le Sueur County | 34.6 | Very Low | 5 |
| 60 | Kanabec County | 34.5 | Very Low | 3 |
| 61 | Jackson County | 33.2 | Very Low | 26 |
| 62 | Sibley County | 31.2 | Very Low | 5 |
| 63 | Cottonwood County | 30.9 | Very Low | 34 |
| 64 | Lake County | 29.8 | Very Low | 11 |
| 65 | Yellow Medicine County | 29.3 | Very Low | 2 |
| 66 | Marshall County | 29.2 | Very Low | 10 |
| 67 | Lincoln County | 28.9 | Very Low | 25 |
| 68 | Wadena County | 27.6 | Very Low | 3 |
| 69 | Murray County | 25.8 | Very Low | 30 |
| 70 | Lac qui Parle County | 25.6 | Very Low | 3 |
| 71 | Watonwan County | 24.9 | Very Low | 2 |
| 72 | Waseca County | 24.4 | Very Low | 13 |
| 73 | Dodge County | 23.9 | Very Low | 7 |
| 74 | Cook County | 19.8 | Very Low | 10 |
| 75 | Pipestone County | 18.5 | Very Low | 64 |
| 76 | Lake of the Woods County | 17.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 77 | Norman County | 17.6 | Very Low | 7 |
| 78 | Rock County | 15.1 | Very Low | 38 |
| 79 | Traverse County | 13.7 | Very Low | 17 |
| 80 | Big Stone County | 13.6 | Very Low | 12 |
| 81 | Kittson County | 13.5 | Very Low | 10 |
| 82 | Wilkin County | 12.6 | Very Low | 5 |
| 83 | Mahnomen County | 11.5 | Very Low | 1 |
| 84 | Clearwater County | 10.9 | Very Low | 4 |
| 85 | Stevens County | 10.6 | Very Low | 3 |
| 86 | Grant County | 8.7 | Very Low | 1 |
| 87 | Red Lake County | 8.2 | Very Low | 1 |
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.
Inland Flooding risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Minnesota:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest inland flooding risk county in Minnesota?
Hennepin County, MN has the highest inland flooding risk in Minnesota, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 98 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes inland flooding risk in Minnesota?
Inland flooding covers riverine and surface (pluvial) flooding — the most common and costly natural disaster type in the US. High scores appear across river floodplains in the Midwest, South, and Mid-Atlantic, where legacy development in flood-prone areas and aging stormwater infrastructure concentrate risk.