Natural Hazard Loss Profile
Expected annual loss across the 18 natural hazards in FEMA's National Risk Index. Life safety is expressed in fatality-equivalents, combining expected deaths and injuries. Property loss counts building damage only, not agriculture.
These figures cover natural hazards only. Structure fire, EMS, and motor vehicle incidents are not in the National Risk Index, so this is not an all-cause life safety measure. For Massachusetts, the largest single contributor is Cold Wave, 30% of the life-safety total.
Massachusetts carries an expected 12 natural hazard fatality-equivalents and $1.3B in building loss per year. Ranks compare the 50 states. Computed from census tract data covering every resident, independent of fire department boundaries.
Add fire mortality, cause, and loss
Natural hazard exposure is only part of the risk. Fire deaths and injuries, cause of ignition, and dollar loss per incident come from NERIS incident reporting, which grows as departments in Massachusetts enroll. Our Regional tier adds that data for the departments your jurisdiction sponsors, next to public risk and NERIS adoption for every department in Massachusetts.
Talk to us about Massachusetts See what a department seesLoss Breakdown
Total expected annual loss: $1,478,106,884 per year. Life safety is shown here in dollars, at FEMA's $13.7M value of statistical life, so the three shares sum to the total.
Hazards Ranked Two Ways
The hazard that threatens people is often not the hazard that destroys buildings. Both columns cover the same 18 hazards over the same year.
By life-safety loss ($/yr)
By property loss ($/yr)
County Risk Map
Shaded by quintile across counties in this state. Click any county for its full profile.
Fire Service Profile
Department composition covers the 365 departments registered in NERIS Public for Massachusetts. Departments that have not registered are not counted. Station coverage divides census population by registered stations; department service areas overlap, so their populations are not summed.
County Rankings
Counties in Massachusetts ranked by risk. Click column headers to sort. Click a county to see its departments.
NRI Rating is from FEMA's National Risk Index, which measures community risk across 18 natural hazards using expected annual losses, social vulnerability, and community resilience. Life-Safety Loss uses FEMA's Value of Statistical Life ($13.7M per expected fatality) to estimate annual risk to human life.
Department and station counts are derived from boundaries self-reported through NERIS Public and may not reflect current service areas. A department serving several counties is counted in each, so the Departments column adds up to more than the statewide department total. Risk metrics are computed from census tract data and are not affected by boundary accuracy. See full methodology.
| County ▲ | Population ▲ | Departments ▲ | Life-Safety Loss ▼ | NRI Rating ▲ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex County | 1.6M | 56 | $31.7M | Relatively Low |
| Suffolk County | 785,121 | 5 | $25.9M | Very Low |
| Worcester County | 867,788 | 62 | $23.1M | Relatively Low |
| Essex County | 813,054 | 34 | $20.6M | Relatively Low |
| Hampden County | 462,815 | 25 | $12.6M | Relatively Low |
| Norfolk County | 730,082 | 28 | $12.1M | Relatively Low |
| Plymouth County | 535,075 | 28 | $10.0M | Relatively Low |
| Bristol County | 582,270 | 22 | $7.9M | Very Low |
| Berkshire County | 129,430 | 31 | $5.3M | Relatively Moderate |
| Hampshire County | 162,028 | 21 | $5.1M | Relatively Low |
| Barnstable County | 231,668 | 19 | $3.5M | Relatively Moderate |
| Franklin County | 70,944 | 29 | $3.4M | Relatively Moderate |
| Nantucket County | 14,483 | 1 | $411.1K | Relatively High |
| Dukes County | 20,933 | 7 | $233.1K | Relatively High |
Risk Snapshot
FEMA Disaster Declarations
Every department in your region, on one briefing
Our Regional tier gives state fire marshals and county fire authorities one briefing across every department in the jurisdiction: priority tracts ranked by risk and demand, NERIS adoption by county, and a quarterly report with a page per department. Response times appear for the departments you sponsor. Free 90-day pilot.
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