North Carolina landslide risk
100 counties scored 0 rated Very High
Macon County has the highest landslide risk in North Carolina, scoring 99.8 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Macon County | 99.8 | Relatively High | 1 |
| 2 | Buncombe County | 98.9 | Relatively High | 1 |
| 3 | Watauga County | 98.8 | Relatively High | 3 |
| 4 | Polk County | 98.3 | Relatively High | 1 |
| 5 | Haywood County | 98.1 | Relatively High | 1 |
| 6 | Swain County | 97.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 7 | Cherokee County | 97.1 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 8 | Avery County | 96.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 9 | Jackson County | 96.7 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 10 | Yancey County | 96.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 11 | McDowell County | 96.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 12 | Madison County | 95.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 13 | Henderson County | 95.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 14 | Mitchell County | 94.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 15 | Graham County | 94 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 16 | Ashe County | 93.5 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 17 | Transylvania County | 93.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 18 | Clay County | 91.8 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 19 | Caldwell County | 90.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 20 | Alleghany County | 90.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 21 | Rutherford County | 86 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 22 | Burke County | 79.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 23 | Wilkes County | 75.8 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 24 | Surry County | 75.2 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 25 | Mecklenburg County | 71.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 26 | Forsyth County | 71.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 27 | Wake County | 71.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 28 | Stokes County | 67.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 29 | Randolph County | 65.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 30 | Rockingham County | 63.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 31 | Davidson County | 63.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 32 | Iredell County | 63 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 33 | Guilford County | 62.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 34 | Catawba County | 62.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 35 | Johnston County | 60.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 36 | Gaston County | 57.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 37 | Alexander County | 56.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 38 | Cumberland County | 56.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 39 | Cleveland County | 53.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 40 | Cabarrus County | 52.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 41 | Montgomery County | 51.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 42 | Chatham County | 48.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 43 | Lincoln County | 47.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 44 | Caswell County | 47.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 45 | Yadkin County | 46.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 46 | Durham County | 45.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 47 | Harnett County | 45.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 48 | Orange County | 41.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 49 | Halifax County | 39.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 50 | Union County | 38.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 51 | Onslow County | 38.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 52 | Stanly County | 38.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 53 | Moore County | 37.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 54 | Pitt County | 36 | Very Low | 0 |
| 55 | Rowan County | 35.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 56 | Anson County | 34.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 57 | Person County | 33.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 58 | Craven County | 32.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 59 | Nash County | 32.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 60 | Wayne County | 31.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 61 | Brunswick County | 30.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 62 | Davie County | 30.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 63 | Sampson County | 29.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 64 | Alamance County | 29.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 65 | Beaufort County | 29 | Very Low | 0 |
| 66 | Carteret County | 28.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 67 | Bladen County | 28.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 68 | Pender County | 27.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 69 | Lee County | 26.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 70 | Richmond County | 25.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 71 | Granville County | 25 | Very Low | 0 |
| 72 | Vance County | 24.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 73 | Northampton County | 24 | Very Low | 0 |
| 74 | Robeson County | 23 | Very Low | 0 |
| 75 | Warren County | 22.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 76 | Hertford County | 21.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 77 | Dare County | 20.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 78 | Duplin County | 20.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 79 | Franklin County | 19.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 80 | Hoke County | 19.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 81 | Martin County | 19.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 82 | Edgecombe County | 19.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 83 | Bertie County | 19 | Very Low | 0 |
| 84 | New Hanover County | 19 | Very Low | 0 |
| 85 | Lenoir County | 18.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 86 | Wilson County | 17.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 87 | Pamlico County | 15.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 88 | Columbus County | 14.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 89 | Scotland County | 11.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 90 | Greene County | 10.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 91 | Currituck County | 10 | Very Low | 0 |
| 92 | Jones County | 9.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 93 | Perquimans County | 8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 94 | Washington County | 7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 95 | Chowan County | 6.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 96 | Pasquotank County | 5.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 97 | Gates County | 5.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 98 | Tyrrell County | 3.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 99 | Camden County | 2.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 100 | Hyde County | 1.9 | Very Low | 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.
Landslide risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in North Carolina:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest landslide risk county in North Carolina?
Macon County, NC has the highest landslide risk in North Carolina, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 99.8 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes landslide risk in North Carolina?
Landslide risk covers expected losses from hillslope failures, rockfalls, and debris flows triggered by heavy rainfall, snowmelt, wildfire, or earthquakes. High scores concentrate in the Pacific Northwest, California coastal ranges, Appalachians, and Rocky Mountain foothills, where steep terrain combines with intense precipitation or seismic activity.