These Southwestern Counties Were Ranked Safest from Natural Disasters

A city in New Mexico and five counties in Colorado ranked in the top 10 for lowest-risk areas for natural catastrophes.

A study by global property information provider CoreLogic detailed the least risky places to live in the U.S. from a natural hazard perspective.

McKinley County, New Mexico ranked as the least risky county to live due to its lack of hurricane and earthquake risk, followed by five counties in Colorado ranking in the top 10 for lowest-risk areas for natural catastrophes.

The CoreLogic risk scoring study analyzed wildfire, inland flood, severe convective storm, winter storm, earthquake and hurricane perils and looked at natural hazards, climate risks and the resulting impacts on the property landscape.

The top 10 counties safest from natural disaster are:

1. McKinley, New Mexico
2. Duchesne, Utah
3. Conejos, Colorado
4. Emery, Utah
5. Summit, Colorado
6. Pondera, Montana
7. Saguache, Colorado
8. Unitah, Utah
9. Mesa, Colorado
10. San Miguel, Colorado

Looking ahead, if climate change progressively worsens, the safest counties under CoreLogic’s scoring in 2050 will include: McKinley, New Mexico; Conejos, Colorado; Summit, Colorado; Duchesne, Utah; Saguache, Colorado; Spokane, Washington; Emery, Utah; Eagle, Colorado; San Juan, Colorado; and Chaffee, Colorado.

This analysis considered the impactful environmental risks to 154 million properties across the U.S.

Topics Natural Disasters