St. Joseph’s building-damage rate from strong wind is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Joseph gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns, #277 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%), then tornadoes (12%). 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 St. Joseph 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
Tornadoes
Strong wind
Hail
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 St. Joseph’s grade
River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. Joseph, and St. Joseph’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 9%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B #277 of 362 in Wisconsin; lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of St. Joseph’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, St. Joseph has more expected damage per building than 76% of Wisconsin towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across St. Joseph: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does St. Joseph flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in St. Joseph. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
St. Joseph isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: St. Croix County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to St. Joseph
Disasters that paid out in St. Joseph itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of St. Joseph), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2013Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$12K to the Town of St. Joseph for repairs
St. Croix County has had 8 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.
Old photos of St. Joseph after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the St. Joseph archive →St. Joseph and its neighbors
St. Joseph is 7th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bayport | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 119 |
| Somerset | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Richmond | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Oak Park Heights | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Hudson | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| St. Joseph | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Stillwater | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Houlton | — | 240 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 St. Joseph 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- 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 St. Joseph
Is St. Joseph at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Joseph has lower expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #277 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and tornadoes (12%). 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 St. Joseph 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 St. Croix County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in St. Joseph?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. Joseph’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 St. Joseph?
By FEMA money that reached St. Joseph, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2013): $12K to the Town of St. Joseph for repairs.
Is St. Joseph at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and St. Joseph’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. Joseph.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where St. Joseph’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.