Photo: Dllu · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Pittsburgh faces more hazard damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pittsburgh gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #908 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). Flood insurance has paid 447 claims here since 1978.
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 Pittsburgh’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
C #908 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pittsburgh’s residents live in 123 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, Pittsburgh has more expected damage per building than 88% of Pennsylvania towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Pittsburgh has higher expected damage per building than 61% (#244 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $120M, is the 87th largest of those 400.
Does Pittsburgh flood? Yes: 447 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pittsburgh, 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.
- Tropical Storm Ivan97 claims · $3.3M
Pittsburgh isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Allegheny County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Pittsburgh
Disasters that paid out in Pittsburgh itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Pittsburgh), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan2,592 households applied for aid$7.2M aid approved97 flood claims paid for it, $3.3M
Allegheny County has had 15 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.
Old photos of Pittsburgh after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pittsburgh archive →Pittsburgh and its neighbors
Pittsburgh is 10th of the 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Tree | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Penn Hills | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
| Baldwin | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 44 |
| West Mifflin | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
| Wilkinsburg | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Ross Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 169 |
| Crafton | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Baldwin Township | A−less damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Ingram | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Pittsburgh | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 447 |
| Reserve Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
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 Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh
Is Pittsburgh at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pittsburgh has higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #908 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Pittsburgh flood?
Flood insurance has paid 447 claims in Pittsburgh since 1978, $9.1M in all, or 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 53 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (97).
Is Pittsburgh 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 Allegheny County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pittsburgh?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pittsburgh’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 Pittsburgh?
By FEMA money that reached Pittsburgh, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 2,592 households applied for aid, $7.2M approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 97 paid, $3.3M.
Is Pittsburgh at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Pittsburgh’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pittsburgh.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pittsburgh’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.