Risk Index · Suffolk County · 2026-06-13
Boston, MA real-estate risk
- Risk score
- 93.5/100
- Relatively Moderate
- Expected annual loss
- $115M
- all hazards, county-wide
- Buildings-only loss
- $89M
- what owners and insurers carry
- Population
- 796K
- Suffolk County
Boston, MA (Suffolk County) carries a FEMA National Risk Index score of 93.5/100, rated "Relatively Moderate" and driven mainly by heat wave and earthquake, with roughly $115M in expected natural-hazard losses per year (FEMA NRI, 2025).
Exhibit 1 · Hazard scores, national percentile
95th percentile- Heat wave97.5
- Earthquake95
- Riverine flood94.7
- Hurricane93.7
- Coastal flood92.2
- Hail76.9
- Tornado75.3
- Strong wind52
- Wildfire9
Each score is the county's percentile against every US county for that hazard (0-100).
What it means for insurance
Coastal flood and hurricane exposure make property insurance the swing cost in this market. Premiums and deductibles here can move a deal's NOI by double digits. Treat the insurance binder as a Day-1 diligence item.
Boston risk questions
Is Boston, MA a high-risk area for real estate?
Boston scores 93.5/100 on FEMA's National Risk Index, rated "Relatively Moderate" versus all US counties. Its expected natural-hazard loss is about $115M per year.
What is the biggest natural hazard in Boston?
The highest-rated hazard is heat wave (97.5/100), followed by earthquake (95/100).
How does hazard risk affect property insurance in Boston?
Coastal flood and hurricane exposure make property insurance the swing cost in this market. Premiums and deductibles here can move a deal's NOI by double digits. Treat the insurance binder as a Day-1 diligence item.
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.