Risk Index · Cook County · 2026-06-13
Chicago, IL real-estate risk
- Risk score
- 100/100
- Very High
- Expected annual loss
- $2.4B
- all hazards, county-wide
- Buildings-only loss
- $1.3B
- what owners and insurers carry
- Population
- 5.3M
- Cook County
Chicago, IL (Cook County) carries a FEMA National Risk Index score of 100/100, rated "Very High" and driven mainly by tornado and riverine flood, with roughly $2.4B in expected natural-hazard losses per year (FEMA NRI, 2025).
Exhibit 1 · Hazard scores, national percentile
95th percentile- Tornado100
- Riverine flood99.9
- Heat wave99.8
- Strong wind99.6
- Hail99.1
- Earthquake98.4
- Wildfire55.8
- Hurricane48.9
- Coastal flood44
- Drought25.7
Each score is the county's percentile against every US county for that hazard (0-100).
What it means for insurance
Severe convective storms (tornado/hail) drive the insurance cost here. Wind/hail deductibles and roof age are what underwriters price, and what's been pushing Midwest/Plains premiums up.
Chicago risk questions
Is Chicago, IL a high-risk area for real estate?
Chicago scores 100/100 on FEMA's National Risk Index, rated "Very High" versus all US counties. Its expected natural-hazard loss is about $2.4B per year.
What is the biggest natural hazard in Chicago?
The highest-rated hazard is tornado (100/100), followed by riverine flood (99.9/100).
How does hazard risk affect property insurance in Chicago?
Severe convective storms (tornado/hail) drive the insurance cost here. Wind/hail deductibles and roof age are what underwriters price, and what's been pushing Midwest/Plains premiums up.
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.