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Sawyer House, Bolton MAPhoto: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bolton · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Bolton than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bolton gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #105 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%), then hurricanes (30%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1984.

River and rain flooding 59%Hurricanes 30%Earthquakes 4%

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 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#105 of 283 in Massachusetts
Hazard risk
A−#105 of 283
in Massachusetts · lower than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
59% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 1984 · $4K
Disasters paid out here
12
of 27 declared for Worcester County
By hazard

What Bolton 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

59%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

30%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Ice storms Wildfire Strong wind Winter storms Landslides top 5% Lightning Hail Cold waves Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Bolton’s grade

River and rain flooding is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bolton, and Bolton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Bolton sits
Bolton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #105 of 283 in Massachusetts; lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding59%Hurricanes30%Earthquakes4%Everything else8%

The typical Massachusetts town has lower expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bolton has less expected damage per building than 63% of Massachusetts towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Bolton: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Bolton’s 5,665 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 Bolton flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1984

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bolton, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1984: 1 claim1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 1 claim2001: 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: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims19842000
19842026
2
paid claims since 1984
$4K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$2K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Bolton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Worcester County.
Disasters

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bolton

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

  1. 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$62K to the Town of Bolton for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$60K to the Town of Bolton for repairs
  3. 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$40K to the Town of Bolton for repairs
  4. 2011Severe Storm and Snowstorm$98K to the Town of Bolton for repairs
  5. 2011Hurricane Irene$7K to the Town of Bolton for repairs
  6. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding29 households applied for aid$32K aid approved
Show all 12
  1. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$97K to the Town of Bolton for repairs
  2. 2005Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  3. 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$29K to the Town of Bolton for repairs
  4. 2003Snow$27K to the Town of Bolton for repairs
  5. 2003Snow$19K to the Town of Bolton for repairs
  6. 2001Snow$17K to the Town of Bolton for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BoltonWorcester County only

Worcester County has had 27 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Bolton archive →
Next door

Bolton and its neighbors

Bolton is 5th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hudson: hazard risk A−Lancaster: hazard risk A−Berlin: hazard risk A−Harvard: hazard risk AClinton: hazard risk AHudsonLancasterBerlinHarvardClintonBolton
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ClintonAless damage than 94%river and rain flooding24
HarvardAless damage than 90%river and rain flooding—
HudsonA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding9
LancasterA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding31
BoltonA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding2
BerlinA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding—

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 Bolton 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
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 Bolton

Is Bolton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bolton has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #105 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%) and hurricanes (30%). 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 Bolton flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Bolton since 1984, $4K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Bolton 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 Worcester County, 65% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bolton?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bolton’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 Bolton?

By FEMA money that reached Bolton, Severe Storm and Snowstorm (2011): $98K to the Town of Bolton for repairs.

Is Bolton at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Bolton’s rate for it is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bolton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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