Draper-Steadman House · Photo: Kmw usa · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Riverton as in the typical U.S. town, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Riverton gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #43 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (49%), then earthquakes (47%). Flood insurance has paid 3 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 Riverton 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 Riverton’s grade
River and rain flooding is 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in Riverton, and Riverton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B #43 of 119 in Utah; lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Riverton’s residents live in 11 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Utah town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Riverton has less expected damage per building than 64% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.4M a year in losses across Riverton: $7.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Riverton flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Riverton, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Riverton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Salt Lake County.The storms Riverton remembers
None of the 6 disasters declared for Salt Lake County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Riverton itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19792 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Salt Lake County has had 6 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 Salt Lake County, 2010–2021.
Old photos of Riverton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Riverton archive →Riverton and its neighbors
Riverton is 3rd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Jordan | B+less damage than 66% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Draper | Bless damage than 56% | earthquakes | 7 |
| Riverton | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Herriman | Cmore damage than 73% | wildfire | — |
| Bluffdale | C−more damage than 83% | wildfire | — |
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 Riverton 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 Riverton
Is Riverton at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Riverton has lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #43 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (49%) and earthquakes (47%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Riverton flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Riverton since 1978, $23K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Riverton 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 Salt Lake County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Riverton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Riverton’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Riverton at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and Riverton’s rate for it is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Riverton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Riverton’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.