Photo: Renjishino · CC BY 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Golden Valley than in 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Golden Valley gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #104 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (56%), then river and rain flooding (43%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2022.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Golden Valley faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Golden Valley’s grade
Wildfire is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Golden Valley, and Golden Valley’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 43% (higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts).
D #104 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Golden Valley’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Arizona town has higher expected damage than 78% of U.S. towns; within the state, Golden Valley has more expected damage per building than 74% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.2M a year in losses across Golden Valley: $4.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Golden Valley flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2022
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Golden Valley, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Golden Valley isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Mohave County.The storms Golden Valley remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Mohave County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Golden Valley itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20221 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Mohave County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Mohave County, 2005–2015.
Old photos of Golden Valley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Golden Valley archive →Golden Valley and its neighbors
Golden Valley has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Golden Valley faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Golden Valley
Is Golden Valley at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Golden Valley has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #104 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (56%) and river and rain flooding (43%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Golden Valley flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Golden Valley since 2022, $57K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Golden Valley in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Mohave County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Golden Valley?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Golden Valley’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Golden Valley at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Golden Valley’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Golden Valley.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Golden Valley’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.