What does this drought risk ranking show?

It orders states by Drought risk. It is a comparison of this one published measure, not an overall ranking of where to live.

Where do these figures come from?

FEMA National Risk Index supplies this measure. States without a comparable published value are shown as not ranked rather than estimated.

How should I use this ranking?

Use it to narrow a search, then open a state or county profile for the underlying figures, source dates and caveats. A statewide number may not describe every neighbourhood.

Rankings · Risk

Lowest drought risk by state

Drought risk.

FEMA National Risk Index score for drought. Matters less for a building than for what surrounds it — water rates, well reliability, irrigation limits and, indirectly, the wildfire score beside it.

How to read this ranking

District of Columbia has the lowest published drought risk in this comparison, at 0.0. The next states shown are Vermont (0.0) and Alaska (1.0).

The table orders 51 states by drought risk. It describes one published measure, not an overall judgment about where to live.

Use the result as a starting point, then compare the underlying source, dates, and local county figures before making a decision. FEMA National Risk Index score for drought. Matters less for a building than for what surrounds it — water rates, well reliability, irrigation limits and, indirectly, the wildfire score beside it.

1District of Columbia0.0
2Vermont0.0
3Alaska1.0
4Michigan1.8
5Washington13.7
6Oregon15.6
7Hawaii16.8
8Idaho17.5
9New York17.8
10Wyoming23.5
11Wisconsin24.9
12North Dakota26.1
13Nevada26.1
14Ohio26.7
15Montana28.2
16Kentucky29.6
17West Virginia32.0
18Georgia32.5
19Rhode Island33.9
20Pennsylvania37.5
21Tennessee40.1
22Minnesota40.7
23Connecticut40.8
24Arkansas41.0
25Colorado41.1
26Indiana41.2
27Missouri43.2
28Virginia43.8
29Illinois45.7
30South Carolina46.6
31Utah49.4
32New Hampshire49.8
33Kansas50.1
34Florida50.2
35South Dakota51.6
36North Carolina52.8
37Maine55.1
38New Jersey55.2
39Alabama56.2
40Mississippi60.0
41Massachusetts61.5
42Texas64.1
43California66.8
44New Mexico70.2
45Nebraska70.9
46Maryland71.4
47Louisiana71.9
48Oklahoma76.6
49Arizona84.6
50Delaware84.8
51Iowa88.1

Related risk rankings

Use this in a move shortlist

These guides combine this measure with other clearly named inputs; they are not overall state verdicts.

States to consider for lower climate-risk exposure →

Frequently asked questions

What does this ranking show?: It orders states by Drought risk. It is one measure, not an overall verdict on where to live.
Where do the figures come from?: FEMA National Risk Index. States without a comparable published figure are listed as not ranked rather than estimated.
How should I use it?: Use it to narrow your search, then open a state or county profile for the source date, caveats and local context.

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<iframe src="https://movermath.com/embed/drought-risk" width="100%" height="420" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Drought risk by state"></iframe>

Source: FEMA National Risk Index. · How this is built

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