Photo: Photolitherland Chris Litherland · CC BY-SA 3.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Cañon City than in 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cañon City gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns, #129 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2009.
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 Cañon 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
Wildfire
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 Cañon City’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cañon City, and Cañon City’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 6%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #129 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cañon City’s residents live in 8 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, Cañon City has more expected damage per building than 81% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.3M a year in losses across Cañon City: $5.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cañon City flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2009
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cañon City, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Cañon 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: Fremont County.The storms Cañon City remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Fremont County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cañon City itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20092 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Fremont County has had 8 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 Fremont County, 2002–2013.
Old photos of Cañon City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cañon City archive →Cañon City and its neighbors
Cañon City is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park Center | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Lincoln Park | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Cañon City | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Cañon 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.
- 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.
- 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 Cañon City
Is Cañon City at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cañon City has higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #129 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and wildfire (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Cañon City flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Cañon City since 2009, $28K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Cañon 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 Fremont County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cañon City?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cañon City’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Cañon City at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Cañon City’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cañon City.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cañon 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.