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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Castleton · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Castleton than in 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Castleton gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #20 of 71 in Vermont. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1986.

River and rain flooding 86%Hurricanes 4%Earthquakes 3%

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

less than 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#20 of 71 in Vermont
Hazard risk
A−#20 of 71
in Vermont · lower than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
86% of expected building damage
Flood claims
5
paid since 1986 · $34K
Disasters paid out here
9
of 19 declared for Rutland County
By hazard

What Castleton 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

86%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Strong wind Tornadoes Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 9% of Castleton’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Castleton’s grade

River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Castleton, and Castleton’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Castleton sits
Castleton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #20 of 71 in Vermont; lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Castleton’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding86%Hurricanes4%Earthquakes3%Everything else6%

The typical Vermont town has lower expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Castleton has less expected damage per building than 73% of Vermont towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Castleton: $889K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Castleton’s 4,458 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Castleton CDP (1,337 residents) and Castleton Four Corners CDP (699 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Castleton flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1986

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Castleton, from FEMA’s records: 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1986: 1 claim1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 2 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198620112018
19862026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene2 claims · $19K
  • The December nor’easter1 claim · $6K
5
paid claims since 1986
$34K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$7K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Castleton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Rutland County.
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Castleton

Disasters that paid out in Castleton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Castleton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides12 households applied for aid$42K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$98K to the Town of Castleton for repairs
  3. 2014Severe Winter Storm$20K to the Town of Castleton for repairs
  4. 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$49K to the Town of Castleton for repairs
  5. 2011Tropical Storm Irene27 households applied for aid$30K aid approved$115K to the Town of Castleton for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $19K
  6. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$5K to the Town of Castleton for repairs
Show all 9
  1. 2001Snow$5K to the Town of Castleton for repairs
  2. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$27K to the Town of Castleton for repairs
  3. 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$10K to the Town of Castleton for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CastletonRutland County only

Rutland County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

Old photos of Castleton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Castleton archive →
Next door

Castleton and its neighbors

Castleton is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Poultney: hazard risk BIra: not gradedFair Haven: hazard risk AHubbardton: not gradedBenson: not gradedPoultneyIraFair HavenHubbardtonBensonCastleton
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Fair HavenAless damage than 88%river and rain flooding4
CastletonA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding5
PoultneyBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding9
Ira—381 residents; we grade 1,000+
Hubbardton—831 residents; we grade 1,000+
Benson—784 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Castleton faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Castleton

Is Castleton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Castleton has lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #20 of 71 in Vermont. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). 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.

Does Castleton flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Castleton since 1986, $34K in all, or 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (2).

Is Castleton 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 Rutland County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Castleton?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Castleton’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 Castleton?

By FEMA money that reached Castleton, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 27 households applied for aid, $30K approved, and $115K to the Town of Castleton for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 2 paid, $19K.

Is Castleton at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Castleton’s rate for it is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Castleton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Castleton’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.