Risk Index · Charleston County · 2026-06-13
Charleston, SC real-estate risk
- Risk score
- 98.6/100
- Relatively High
- Expected annual loss
- $500M
- all hazards, county-wide
- Buildings-only loss
- $412M
- what owners and insurers carry
- Population
- 408K
- Charleston County
Charleston, SC (Charleston County) carries a FEMA National Risk Index score of 98.6/100, rated "Relatively High" and driven mainly by coastal flood and hurricane, with roughly $500M in expected natural-hazard losses per year (FEMA NRI, 2025).
Exhibit 1 · Hazard scores, national percentile
95th percentile- Coastal flood99.8
- Hurricane99.6
- Earthquake98.8
- Wildfire93.9
- Riverine flood89.9
- Heat wave82.7
- Strong wind82.5
- Tornado71
- Hail60.9
- Drought35.4
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.
Charleston risk questions
Is Charleston, SC a high-risk area for real estate?
Charleston scores 98.6/100 on FEMA's National Risk Index, rated "Relatively High" versus all US counties. Its expected natural-hazard loss is about $500M per year.
What is the biggest natural hazard in Charleston?
The highest-rated hazard is coastal flood (99.8/100), followed by hurricane (99.6/100).
How does hazard risk affect property insurance in Charleston?
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.