Question
Which state has the most major disaster declarations?
California has the most major disaster declarations of the 59 states and territories FEMA names, 116, since 1953, according to FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries.
Data retrieved
The figures behind this
| Rank | State | Major disasters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 116 |
| 2 | Texas | 108 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 100 |
| 4 | Florida | 87 |
| 5 | New York | 85 |
| 6 | Kentucky | 82 |
| 7 | Louisiana | 78 |
| 7 | Mississippi | 78 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 78 |
| 10 | Missouri | 77 |
| 11 | Alabama | 75 |
| 12 | Arkansas | 74 |
| 12 | West Virginia | 74 |
| 14 | Iowa | 73 |
| 14 | Kansas | 73 |
| 16 | Nebraska | 71 |
| 17 | Washington | 68 |
| 18 | Alaska | 66 |
| 19 | South Dakota | 65 |
| 20 | Minnesota | 63 |
| 21 | North Dakota | 62 |
| 22 | Illinois | 59 |
| 23 | Virginia | 58 |
| 24 | North Carolina | 57 |
| 25 | Vermont | 55 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | 54 |
| 27 | Ohio | 53 |
| 28 | Maine | 52 |
| 29 | Georgia | 51 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | 49 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | 48 |
| 32 | Indiana | 46 |
| 33 | Oregon | 44 |
| 34 | Montana | 43 |
| 34 | New Jersey | 43 |
| 36 | Hawaii | 42 |
| 37 | New Mexico | 40 |
| 38 | Arizona | 37 |
| 39 | Massachusetts | 36 |
| 39 | Puerto Rico | 36 |
| 41 | Idaho | 35 |
| 41 | Michigan | 35 |
| 43 | Maryland | 31 |
| 44 | South Carolina | 29 |
| 45 | Colorado | 26 |
| 45 | Connecticut | 26 |
| 47 | Nevada | 22 |
| 48 | Northern Mariana Islands | 21 |
| 48 | U.S. Virgin Islands | 21 |
| 50 | Delaware | 20 |
| 50 | Guam | 20 |
| 52 | Federated States of Micronesia | 19 |
| 53 | Rhode Island | 17 |
| 53 | Utah | 17 |
| 55 | American Samoa | 15 |
| 55 | District of Columbia | 15 |
| 55 | Wyoming | 15 |
| 58 | Marshall Islands | 7 |
| 59 | Palau | 1 |
Where to go next
More questions about Disasters
- Which state has the most emergency declarations?
36 since 1953
- Which state has most fire management declarations?
265 since 1953
- Which county has the most major declarations?
29 since 2000
- What incident type does FEMA declare most often?
1,787 since 1953
Sources
- OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, v2 — Federal Emergency Management Agency, OpenFEMA · U.S. Government work · retrieved November 4, 2026
Compiled automatically from OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, v2 by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built
How to cite this page
Cite the page’s address and the date printed on it, and name Federal Emergency Management Agency, OpenFEMA as the source of the figures.
American Factbook. “Which state has the most major disaster declarations?.” Updated November 4, 2026. https://americanfactbook.org/disasters/which-state-has-the-most-major-disaster-declarations. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, v2, https://www.fema.gov/openfema-data-page/disaster-declarations-summaries-v2.