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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Tolleson · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Tolleson than in 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tolleson gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #5 of 140 in Arizona. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 62 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 91%Earthquakes 4%Hail 3%

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

less than 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#5 of 140 in Arizona
Hazard risk
A−#5 of 140
in Arizona · lower than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
91% of expected building damage
Flood claims
62
paid since 1978 · $528K
Disasters paid out here
1
of 12 declared for its 2 counties

What stands out about Tolleson’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 80% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Remembers 197828 flood claims were paid for 1978 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Tolleson 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

91%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 8 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Tornadoes Wildfire Hurricanes Winter storms Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts heat waves at 36% of Tolleson’s expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Tolleson’s grade

River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tolleson, and Tolleson’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Tolleson sits
Tolleson
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #5 of 140 in Arizona; lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Tolleson’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding91%Earthquakes4%Hail3%Everything else1%

The typical Arizona town has higher expected damage than 78% of U.S. towns; within the state, Tolleson has less expected damage per building than 97% of Arizona towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.4M a year in losses across Tolleson: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Tolleson’s 7,216 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Tolleson flood? Sometimes: 62 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tolleson, from FEMA’s records: 21.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 28 claims1979: 2 claims1980: 16 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 3 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 11 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197819801993
19782026
62
paid claims since 1978
$528K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$9K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Tolleson 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.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Tolleson

Disasters that paid out in Tolleson itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Tolleson), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2014Severe Storms and Flooding$34K to the City of Tolleson for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Tollesonits 2 counties only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Tolleson after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Tolleson archive →
Next door

Tolleson and its neighbors

Tolleson has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Phoenix: hazard risk C+Avondale: hazard risk C−PhoenixAvondaleTolleson
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
TollesonA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding62
PhoenixC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding863
AvondaleC−more damage than 85%river and rain flooding4

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Tolleson faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Tolleson

Is Tolleson at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tolleson has lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #5 of 140 in Arizona. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Tolleson flood?

Flood insurance has paid 62 claims in Tolleson since 1978, $528K in all, or 21.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Tolleson 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 Tolleson?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tolleson’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Tolleson?

By FEMA money that reached Tolleson, Severe Storms and Flooding (2014): $34K to the City of Tolleson for repairs.

Is Tolleson at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Tolleson’s rate for it is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tolleson.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tolleson’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.