Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Uxbridge faces less hazard damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Uxbridge gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, #181 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%), then hurricanes (27%). Flood insurance has paid 17 claims here since 1979.
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 Uxbridge 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
Hurricanes
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 Uxbridge’s grade
River and rain flooding is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in Uxbridge, and Uxbridge’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #181 of 283 in Massachusetts; lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Uxbridge’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Massachusetts town has lower expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Uxbridge has more expected damage per building than 64% of Massachusetts towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.2M a year in losses across Uxbridge: $2.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Uxbridge flood? Sometimes: 17 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Uxbridge, from FEMA’s records: 3.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Uxbridge 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.12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Uxbridge
Disasters that paid out in Uxbridge itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Uxbridge), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$16K aid approved
- 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$81K to the Town of Uxbridge for repairs
- 2015Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$136K to the Town of Uxbridge for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$67K to the Town of Uxbridge for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$22K to the Town of Uxbridge for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding61 households applied for aid$89K aid approved$44K to the Town of Uxbridge for repairs
Show all 12
- 2008Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$8K to the Town of Uxbridge for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding13 households applied for aid$24K aid approved$30K to the Town of Uxbridge for repairs
- 2005Record And/or Near Record Snow$53K to the Town of Uxbridge for repairs
- 2003Snow$55K to the Town of Uxbridge for repairs
- 2003Snow$44K to the Town of Uxbridge for repairs
- 2001Snow$46K to the Town of Uxbridge for repairs
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.
Old photos of Uxbridge after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Uxbridge archive →Uxbridge and its neighbors
Uxbridge 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Northbridge | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
| Douglas | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Uxbridge | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| Millville | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Whitinsville | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Uxbridge 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.
- 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.
- 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 Uxbridge
Is Uxbridge at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Uxbridge has lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #181 of 283 in Massachusetts. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%) and hurricanes (27%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Uxbridge flood?
Flood insurance has paid 17 claims in Uxbridge since 1979, $459K in all, or 3.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Uxbridge 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 Uxbridge?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Uxbridge’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 Uxbridge?
By FEMA money that reached Uxbridge, Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding (2015): $136K to the Town of Uxbridge for repairs.
Is Uxbridge at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and Uxbridge’s rate for it is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Uxbridge.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Uxbridge’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.