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Downtown EllsworthPhoto: Iulus Ascanius at English Wikipedia · Public domain
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ellsworth · FEMA

FEMA puts Ellsworth’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ellsworth gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #221 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%), then tornadoes (19%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 56%Tornadoes 19%Strong wind 14%

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 72%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#221 of 362 in Wisconsin
Hazard risk
B+#221 of 362
in Wisconsin · lower than 72% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
56% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 10 declared for Pierce County

What stands out about Ellsworth’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 72% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Made safer with FEMA grants1 storm safe room built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Ellsworth 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

56%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts

Strong wind

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hail

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Lightning Earthquakes Winter storms Wildfire Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 11% of Ellsworth’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 Ellsworth’s grade

River and rain flooding is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ellsworth, and Ellsworth’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Ellsworth sits
Ellsworth
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #221 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Ellsworth’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding56%Tornadoes19%Strong wind14%Everything else10%

The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ellsworth has more expected damage per building than 61% of Wisconsin towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Ellsworth: $887K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Ellsworth covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Ellsworth flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ellsworth. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Pierce County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1storm safe room built
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Ellsworth

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

  1. 2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$22K to the Village of Ellsworth for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in EllsworthPierce County only

Pierce County has had 10 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Ellsworth archive →
Next door

Ellsworth and its neighbors

Ellsworth has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Ellsworth: hazard risk B+Trimbelle: hazard risk BEllsworthTrimbelleEllsworth
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
EllsworthB+less damage than 72%river and rain flooding0
EllsworthB+less damage than 71%river and rain flooding—
TrimbelleBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding—

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 Ellsworth 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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 Ellsworth

Is Ellsworth at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ellsworth has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #221 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%) and tornadoes (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Ellsworth 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 Pierce County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ellsworth?

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

By FEMA money that reached Ellsworth, Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes (2001): $22K to the Village of Ellsworth for repairs.

Is Ellsworth at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Ellsworth’s rate for it is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ellsworth.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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