All counties › California

Los Angeles County, CA

FEMA National Risk Index scores, disaster declarations & hazard data

Population: 10,005,712 · Cities: Los Angeles , Long Beach , Santa Clarita , Glendale , Lancaster , Palmdale , Pomona , Torrance , Pasadena , Downey , West Covina , El Monte , Burbank , Inglewood , Norwalk , Carson , Compton , South Gate , Santa Monica , Whittier , Hawthorne , Alhambra , Lakewood , Bellflower , Baldwin Park , Redondo Beach , Lynwood , Montebello , Pico Rivera , Gardena , Monterey Park , Arcadia , Diamond Bar , Huntington Park , Paramount , Glendora , Rosemead , Covina , Azusa , Cerritos , La Mirada , Rancho Palos Verdes , Culver City , San Gabriel , Monrovia , Bell Gardens , La Puente , Claremont , Temple City , West Hollywood , Manhattan Beach , San Dimas , Bell , Beverly Hills , La Verne , Lawndale , Walnut , South Pasadena , Maywood , Duarte , San Fernando , Calabasas , Cudahy , Lomita , La Ca�ada Flintridge , Agoura Hills , South El Monte , Hermosa Beach , Santa Fe Springs , El Segundo , Artesia , Hawaiian Gardens , Palos Verdes Estates , San Marino , Commerce , Signal Hill

Los Angeles County has experienced 88 federally declared disasters since 1969, most recently Wildfires And Straight-Line Winds in 2025. Its overall natural hazard risk is rated Very High — among the most at-risk counties in the country.

Los Angeles County's highest-rated hazards are inland flooding, earthquake, and wildfire, with its top risk rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded storm events have increased 472% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period. Community vulnerability is elevated (86th percentile nationally), suggesting residents may face greater difficulty recovering from major disasters.

Past disasters & FEMA designations

A federal disaster declaration officially designates a county for FEMA disaster assistance. Los Angeles County has been designated in 88 declarations since 1969, covering 8 disaster types including fire (61), flood (10), severe storm (8).

Showing the 10 most recent of 88 total declarations since 1969.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries. A single disaster can produce more than one record per county. Data current through September 2026.

Risk by hazard type

Scores are 0–100 percentiles relative to all US counties — higher means more exposed, not that a disaster is likely this year. Event counts: NOAA Storm Events 2016–2026; earthquake counts from USGS ComCat (M3.0+, 1996–2026). See the methodology page for details.

Community vulnerability

Los Angeles County ranks in the 86th percentile (High) for community vulnerability — a measure of how hard disaster impacts tend to hit residents. Higher vulnerability means more displacement, worse health outcomes, and slower recovery after a disaster.

Source: CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022. Percentiles compare counties nationally — higher means more vulnerable relative to other counties. See CDC SVI for full methodology.

Future risk outlook

NOAA tracked 121 weather events in this county over 2016–2025: 18 in 2016–20 vs 103 in 2021–25 (+472% — frequency increasing).

Wildfire: USDA Forest Service Wildfire Risk to Communities (RDS-2020-0016-2) — modeled values, not annual forecasts. See wildfirerisk.org. Inland flood and heat projections pending data availability; coastal sea-level projections are available for select coastal counties below — see the data page.