Risk Index · Wake County · 2026-06-13
Raleigh, NC real-estate risk
- Risk score
- 95.5/100
- Relatively High
- Expected annual loss
- $299M
- all hazards, county-wide
- Buildings-only loss
- $261M
- what owners and insurers carry
- Population
- 1.1M
- Wake County
Raleigh, NC (Wake County) carries a FEMA National Risk Index score of 95.5/100, rated "Relatively High" and driven mainly by hail and riverine flood, with roughly $299M in expected natural-hazard losses per year (FEMA NRI, 2025).
Exhibit 1 · Hazard scores, national percentile
95th percentile- Hail98.5
- Riverine flood97.7
- Heat wave96.9
- Tornado95.3
- Hurricane89.9
- Earthquake87.8
- Wildfire57.4
- Drought51.1
- Strong wind49.3
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.
Raleigh risk questions
Is Raleigh, NC a high-risk area for real estate?
Raleigh scores 95.5/100 on FEMA's National Risk Index, rated "Relatively High" versus all US counties. Its expected natural-hazard loss is about $299M per year.
What is the biggest natural hazard in Raleigh?
The highest-rated hazard is hail (98.5/100), followed by riverine flood (97.7/100).
How does hazard risk affect property insurance in Raleigh?
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.