Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Commerce City’s building-damage rate from hail is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Commerce City gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns, #54 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is hail (47%), then river and rain flooding (41%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Commerce City faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hail
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
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 Commerce City’s grade
Hail is 47% of the building damage FEMA expects in Commerce City, and Commerce City’s rate of hail damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 41% (lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts).
B #54 of 159 in Colorado; lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Commerce City’s residents live in 14 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, Commerce City has less expected damage per building than 66% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $15.6M a year in losses across Commerce City: $11.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Commerce City flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Commerce City. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Commerce 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: Adams County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Commerce City
Disasters that paid out in Commerce City itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Commerce City), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2013Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides174 households applied for aid$178K aid approved$766K to the City of Commerce City for repairs
- 2006Snow$20K to the City of Commerce City for repairs
- 2003Snow$17K to the City of Commerce City for repairs
Adams County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Commerce City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Commerce City archive →Commerce City and its neighbors
Commerce City is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derby | B+less damage than 72% | hail | — |
| Brighton | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Thornton | B+less damage than 66% | hail | 7 |
| Commerce City | Bless damage than 57% | hail | 0 |
| Denver | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 82 |
| North Washington | — | 294 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Commerce 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Commerce City
Is Commerce City at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Commerce City has lower expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #54 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is hail (47%) and river and rain flooding (41%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Commerce 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 Adams County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Commerce City?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Commerce City’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 Commerce City?
By FEMA money that reached Commerce City, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2013): 174 households applied for aid, $178K approved, and $766K to the City of Commerce City for repairs.
Is Commerce City at risk from hail?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (47%), and Commerce City’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Commerce City.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Commerce 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.