Photo: Invictus323 · CC BY 4.0FEMA puts Salt Lake City’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Salt Lake City gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #111 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (79%), then river and rain flooding (19%). Flood insurance has paid 98 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 Salt Lake City faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
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 Salt Lake City’s grade
Earthquakes are 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Salt Lake City, and Salt Lake City’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 19% (lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
D #111 of 119 in Utah; higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Salt Lake City’s residents live in 59 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, Salt Lake City has more expected damage per building than 93% of Utah towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Salt Lake City has higher expected damage per building than 81% (#323 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $230M, is the 34th largest of those 400.
Does Salt Lake City flood? Sometimes: 98 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Salt Lake City, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Salt Lake City 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Salt Lake City
Disasters that paid out in Salt Lake City itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Salt Lake City), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Earthquake and Aftershocks439 households applied for aid$555K aid approved
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 Salt Lake City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Salt Lake City archive →Salt Lake City and its neighbors
Salt Lake City is 6th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Salt Lake | C+more damage than 57% | earthquakes | — |
| Magna | C+more damage than 58% | earthquakes | 2 |
| West Valley City | C−more damage than 76% | earthquakes | 2 |
| Millcreek | Dmore damage than 85% | earthquakes | 1 |
| South Salt Lake | Dmore damage than 86% | earthquakes | 1 |
| Salt Lake City | Dmore damage than 87% | earthquakes | 98 |
| Emigration Canyon | Dmore damage than 93% | 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 Salt Lake City faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Salt Lake City
Is Salt Lake City at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Salt Lake City has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #111 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (79%) and river and rain flooding (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Salt Lake City flood?
Flood insurance has paid 98 claims in Salt Lake City since 1978, $407K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Salt Lake City’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 Salt Lake City?
By FEMA money that reached Salt Lake City, Earthquake and Aftershocks (2020): 439 households applied for aid, $555K approved.
Is Salt Lake City at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Salt Lake City’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Salt Lake City.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Salt Lake City’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.