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HillsboroDowntownMtHoodPhoto: M.O. Stevens at en.wikipedia · Public domain
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Hillsboro · FEMA

FEMA puts Hillsboro’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hillsboro gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #70 of 142 in Oregon. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (59%), then river and rain flooding (40%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1996.

Earthquakes 59%River and rain flooding 40%

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

more than 69%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#70 of 142 in Oregon
Hazard risk
C#70 of 142
in Oregon · higher than 69% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
59% of expected building damage
Flood claims
11
paid since 1996 · $179K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
2
of 11 declared for Washington County
By hazard

What Hillsboro faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Earthquakes

59%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

40%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Tornadoes Ice storms Hail Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning Volcanic activity top 2%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamis

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 Hillsboro’s grade

Earthquakes are 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hillsboro, and Hillsboro’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 40% (lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Hillsboro sits
Hillsboro
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #70 of 142 in Oregon; higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Hillsboro’s residents live in 31 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes59%River and rain flooding40%Everything else1%

The typical Oregon town has higher expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hillsboro has less expected damage per building than 51% of Oregon towns.

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Hillsboro has higher expected damage per building than 61% (#245 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $53.1M, is the 228th largest of those 400.

A firm figure. It combines 31 census tracts by where Hillsboro’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Hillsboro flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hillsboro, 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.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 8 claims1997: 1 claim1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 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: 1 claim2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199619972018
19962026
11
paid claims since 1996
$179K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$16K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Washington County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hillsboro

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

  1. 2008Severe Winter Storm, Record and Near Record Snow$27K to the City of Hillsboro for repairs
  2. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$141 aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HillsboroWashington County only

Washington County has had 11 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 Washington County, 2020–2024.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Hillsboro archive →
Next door

Hillsboro and its neighbors

Hillsboro is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Aloha: hazard risk C+Rockcreek: hazard risk CBeaverton: hazard risk C+AlohaRockcreekBeavertonHillsboro
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BeavertonC+more damage than 62%earthquakes31
AlohaC+more damage than 65%earthquakes17
RockcreekCmore damage than 68%earthquakes7
HillsboroCmore damage than 69%earthquakes11

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 Hillsboro faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 ↗
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 Hillsboro

Is Hillsboro at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hillsboro has higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #70 of 142 in Oregon. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (59%) and river and rain flooding (40%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Hillsboro flood?

Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Hillsboro since 1996, $179K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Hillsboro 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 Washington County, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hillsboro?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hillsboro, Severe Winter Storm, Record and Near Record Snow (2008): $27K to the City of Hillsboro for repairs.

Is Hillsboro at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Hillsboro’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hillsboro.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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