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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Gold Bar · FEMA

FEMA puts Gold Bar’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gold Bar gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #279 of 285 in Washington. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%), then earthquakes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1995.

River and rain flooding 83%Earthquakes 14%Landslides 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

more than 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#279 of 285 in Washington
Hazard risk
D−#279 of 285
in Washington · higher than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
83% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 1995 · $1K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 31 declared for Snohomish County

What stands out about Gold Bar’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Landslides: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 3.0% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way5 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Gold Bar 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

83%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Earthquakes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Landslides top 0% Wildfire Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Lightning Avalanches top 0% Volcanic activity top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesTsunamis
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts avalanches at 20% of Gold Bar’s expected losses. Avalanches 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 Gold Bar’s grade

River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gold Bar, and Gold Bar’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Landslides add 3%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Gold Bar sits
Gold Bar
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #279 of 285 in Washington; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding83%Earthquakes14%Landslides3%

The typical Washington town has higher expected damage than 76% of U.S. towns; within the state, Gold Bar has more expected damage per building than 98% of Washington towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.5M a year in losses across Gold Bar: $2.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Gold Bar’s 2,403 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with May Creek CDP (849 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 Gold Bar flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1995

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gold Bar, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1995: 1 claim1996: 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: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims1995
19952026
1
paid claims since 1995
$1K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$1K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Snohomish County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
5flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Gold Bar

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides8 households applied for aid$30K aid approved
  2. 2009Severe Winter Storm, Landslides, Mudslides, and Flooding7 households applied for aid$33K aid approved$860 to the City of Gold Bar for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$1K to the City of Gold Bar for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  5. 2006Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides40 households applied for aid$187K aid approved
  6. 2003Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$150 aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Gold BarSnohomish County only

Snohomish County has had 31 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Snohomish County, 2022–2022.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Gold Bar archive →
Next door

Gold Bar and its neighbors

Gold Bar has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

May Creek: not gradedStartup: not gradedMay CreekStartupGold Bar
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Gold BarD−more damage than 98%river and rain flooding1
May Creek—791 residents; we grade 1,000+
Startup—555 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 Gold Bar 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Gold Bar

Is Gold Bar at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gold Bar has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #279 of 285 in Washington. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and earthquakes (14%). 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 Gold Bar flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Gold Bar since 1995, $1K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Gold Bar 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 Snohomish County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Gold Bar?

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

By FEMA money that reached Gold Bar, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2006): 40 households applied for aid, $187K approved.

Is Gold Bar at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Gold Bar’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gold Bar.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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