Ute Cemetery · Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Aspen’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Aspen gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, #124 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1995.
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 Aspen 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 Aspen’s grade
River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Aspen, and Aspen’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #124 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Aspen’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Colorado town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Aspen has more expected damage per building than 78% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $40.0M a year in losses across Aspen: $6.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Aspen flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1995
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Aspen, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Aspen isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pitkin County.The storms Aspen remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Pitkin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Aspen itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19952 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Pitkin County has had 3 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.
Old photos of Aspen after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Aspen archive →Get ready for what Aspen 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 Aspen
Is Aspen at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Aspen has higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #124 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Aspen flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Aspen since 1995, $153K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Aspen 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 Pitkin County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Aspen?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Aspen’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Aspen at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Aspen’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Aspen.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Aspen’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.