Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, New York, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Hopkinton’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hopkinton gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). 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 Hopkinton 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
Earthquakes
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 Hopkinton’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hopkinton, and Hopkinton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 9% (higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Hopkinton’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $473K a year in losses across Hopkinton: $397K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hopkinton flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hopkinton. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Hopkinton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: St. Lawrence County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hopkinton
Disasters that paid out in Hopkinton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Hopkinton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby$5.0M to the Town of Hopkinton for repairs
- 2014Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding$8K to the Town of Hopkinton for repairs
- 1999Snow$3K to the Town of Hopkinton for repairs
St. Lawrence County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Hopkinton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hopkinton archive →Hopkinton and its neighbors
Hopkinton is 2nd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Hopkinton | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Stockholm | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Parishville | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Colton | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Tupper Lake | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Waverly | — | 794 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Piercefield | — | 311 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 Hopkinton 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Hopkinton
Is Hopkinton at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hopkinton has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and earthquakes (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Hopkinton 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 St. Lawrence County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Hopkinton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hopkinton’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 Hopkinton?
By FEMA money that reached Hopkinton, Remnants of Tropical Storm Debby (2024): $5.0M to the Town of Hopkinton for repairs.
Is Hopkinton at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Hopkinton’s rate for it is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hopkinton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hopkinton’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.