Photo: Mfwills · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Bakersfield than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bakersfield gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Bakersfield 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 Bakersfield’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bakersfield, and Bakersfield’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bakersfield’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $288K a year in losses across Bakersfield: $224K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bakersfield flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bakersfield. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Bakersfield isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Franklin County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bakersfield
Disasters that paid out in Bakersfield itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bakersfield), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Storm and Flooding$950K to the Town of Bakersfield for repairs
- 2013Severe Winter Storms$50K to the Town of Bakersfield for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$847 aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$15K to the Town of Bakersfield for repairs
- 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$43K to the Town of Bakersfield for repairs
Franklin County has had 27 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Bakersfield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bakersfield archive →Bakersfield and its neighbors
Bakersfield is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bakersfield | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Fletcher | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Enosburgh | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Montgomery | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Waterville | — | 680 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Belvidere | — | 422 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Bakersfield 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 Bakersfield
Is Bakersfield at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bakersfield has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Bakersfield 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 Franklin County, 0.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Bakersfield?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bakersfield’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 Bakersfield?
By FEMA money that reached Bakersfield, Severe Storm and Flooding (2019): $950K to the Town of Bakersfield for repairs.
Is Bakersfield at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Bakersfield’s rate for it is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bakersfield.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bakersfield’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.