Risk Index · Kern County · 2026-06-13
Bakersfield, CA real-estate risk
- Risk score
- 98.9/100
- Relatively High
- Expected annual loss
- $417M
- all hazards, county-wide
- Buildings-only loss
- $319M
- what owners and insurers carry
- Population
- 909K
- Kern County
Bakersfield, CA (Kern County) carries a FEMA National Risk Index score of 98.9/100, rated "Relatively High" and driven mainly by wildfire and heat wave, with roughly $417M in expected natural-hazard losses per year (FEMA NRI, 2025).
Exhibit 1 · Hazard scores, national percentile
95th percentile- Wildfire99.7
- Heat wave99.5
- Earthquake99.4
- Riverine flood98.5
- Drought94.5
- Hail67.7
- Strong wind46
- Tornado19.8
Each score is the county's percentile against every US county for that hazard (0-100).
What it means for insurance
Wildfire is the binding insurance line here. Top-percentile wildfire risk is exactly where carriers are non-renewing and FAIR-Plan pricing (often 2–3× admitted rates) kicks in. Underwrite a real insurance quote before the cap rate.
Bakersfield risk questions
Is Bakersfield, CA a high-risk area for real estate?
Bakersfield scores 98.9/100 on FEMA's National Risk Index, rated "Relatively High" versus all US counties. Its expected natural-hazard loss is about $417M per year.
What is the biggest natural hazard in Bakersfield?
The highest-rated hazard is wildfire (99.7/100), followed by heat wave (99.5/100).
How does hazard risk affect property insurance in Bakersfield?
Wildfire is the binding insurance line here. Top-percentile wildfire risk is exactly where carriers are non-renewing and FAIR-Plan pricing (often 2–3× admitted rates) kicks in. Underwrite a real insurance quote before the cap rate.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (Counties), v1.20 (2026-06-13). Scores are national percentiles (0-100). Insurance commentary is PropHunt's interpretation of the hazard data, not an insurance quote.