Photo: Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Doylestown faces less hazard damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Doylestown gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #46 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%), then earthquakes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1995.
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 Doylestown 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
Tornadoes
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 Doylestown’s grade
River and rain flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Doylestown, and Doylestown’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 5%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #46 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Doylestown’s residents live in 3 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 has less expected damage per building than 96% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Doylestown: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Doylestown flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1995
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Doylestown, from FEMA’s records: 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Floyd2 claims · $94K
- Hurricane Ida2 claims · $4K
- Tropical Storm Allison1 claim · $58K
Doylestown 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.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Doylestown
Disasters that paid out in Doylestown itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Doylestown), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida257 households applied for aid$377K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $4K
- 2011Tropical Storm Lee26 households applied for aid$19K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $22K
- 2011Hurricane Irene69 households applied for aid$88K aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides4 households applied for aid$6K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan3 households applied for aid$11K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
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 after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Doylestown archive →Doylestown and its neighbors
Doylestown has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. 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 |
| Buckingham Township | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 53 |
| 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 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Doylestown
Is Doylestown at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Doylestown has lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #46 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%) and earthquakes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Doylestown flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Doylestown since 1995, $237K in all, or 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Floyd (2).
Is Doylestown 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?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Doylestown’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?
By FEMA money that reached Doylestown, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021): 257 households applied for aid, $377K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Floyd: 2 paid, $94K.
Is Doylestown at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Doylestown’s rate for it is lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Doylestown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Doylestown’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.