Less hazard damage per building is expected in Boulder Junction than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Boulder Junction gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Boulder Junction 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 Boulder Junction’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Boulder Junction, and Boulder Junction’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
A− lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Boulder Junction’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $988K a year in losses across Boulder Junction: $512K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Boulder Junction flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Boulder Junction. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Boulder Junction isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Vilas County.The storms Boulder Junction remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Vilas County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Boulder Junction itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Vilas County has had 3 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Boulder Junction and its neighbors
Boulder Junction is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lac du Flambeau | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Arbor Vitae | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Boulder Junction | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Presque Isle | — | 611 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Manitowish Waters | — | 768 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Plum Lake | — | 458 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Land O'Lakes | — | 856 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 Boulder Junction 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 Boulder Junction
Is Boulder Junction at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Boulder Junction has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Boulder Junction 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 Vilas County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Boulder Junction?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Boulder Junction’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Boulder Junction at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Boulder Junction’s rate for it is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Boulder Junction.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Boulder Junction’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.