Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Sun City than in 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sun City gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #55 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1979.
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 Sun City faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
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 Sun City’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sun City, and Sun City’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
C #55 of 140 in Arizona; higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sun City’s residents live in 12 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, Sun City has less expected damage per building than 61% of Arizona towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $20.4M a year in losses across Sun City: $11.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sun City flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sun City, from FEMA’s records: 0.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 100% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Sun City isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Maricopa County.The storms Sun City remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for its 2 counties shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sun City itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Its 2 counties have had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 11 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in its 2 counties, 2005–2024.
Old photos of Sun City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sun City archive →Sun City and its neighbors
Sun City is 2nd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surprise | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Sun City | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Peoria | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| El Mirage | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Youngtown | Dmore damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Sun City faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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 Sun City
Is Sun City at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sun City has higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #55 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sun City flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Sun City since 1979, $5K in all, or 0.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 100% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Sun City 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 Maricopa County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sun City?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sun City’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Sun City at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Sun City’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sun City.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sun City’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.