Photo: Catlin Mary Ann Miller · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Laramie’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Laramie gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #2 of 28 in Wyoming. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2010.
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 Laramie 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
Earthquakes
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 Laramie’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Laramie, and Laramie’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 8% (higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts).
A #2 of 28 in Wyoming; lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Laramie’s residents live in 10 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Wyoming town has lower expected damage than 55% of U.S. towns; within the state, Laramie has less expected damage per building than 96% of Wyoming towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $12.2M a year in losses across Laramie: $4.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Laramie flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2010
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Laramie, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Laramie isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Albany County.The storms Laramie remembers
None of the 2 disasters declared for Albany County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Laramie itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20101 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20161 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20221 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Albany County has had 2 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms.
Also 6 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Albany County, 2002–2020.
Old photos of Laramie after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Laramie archive →Get ready for what Laramie 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Laramie
Is Laramie at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Laramie has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #2 of 28 in Wyoming. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and earthquakes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Laramie flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Laramie since 2010, $116K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Laramie 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 Albany County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Laramie?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Laramie’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Laramie at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Laramie’s rate for it is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Laramie.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Laramie’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.