Photo: Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Doylestown Township than in 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Doylestown Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #514 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 25 claims here since 1996.
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 stands out about Doylestown Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Doylestown Township 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
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 Doylestown Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Doylestown Township, and Doylestown Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #514 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Doylestown Township’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, Doylestown Township has less expected damage per building than 50% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.5M a year in losses across Doylestown Township: $5.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Doylestown Township flood? Sometimes: 25 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Doylestown Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene6 claims · $94K
- Hurricane Floyd4 claims · $36K
- Tropical Storm Allison4 claims · $28K
Doylestown Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bucks County.The storms Doylestown Township remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Bucks County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Doylestown Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20119 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Bucks County
- 19994 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations, declared for Bucks County
- 20014 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Allison, declared for Bucks County
Bucks County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Doylestown Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Doylestown Township archive →Doylestown Township and its neighbors
Doylestown Township is 8th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doylestown | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| New Britain | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Warrington Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 119 |
| Warwick Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| New Britain Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Buckingham Township | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 53 |
| Plumstead Township | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 66 |
| Doylestown Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
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 Doylestown Township 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.
- 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 Doylestown Township
Is Doylestown Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Doylestown Township has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #514 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Doylestown Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 25 claims in Doylestown Township since 1996, $378K in all, or 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (6).
Is Doylestown Township 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 Bucks County, 49% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Doylestown Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Doylestown Township’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 Doylestown Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 6 paid, $94K.
Is Doylestown Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Doylestown Township’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Doylestown Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Doylestown Township’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.