Risk Index · San Diego County · 2026-06-13
San Diego, CA real-estate risk
- Risk score
- 99.7/100
- Very High
- Expected annual loss
- $1.5B
- all hazards, county-wide
- Buildings-only loss
- $1.4B
- what owners and insurers carry
- Population
- 3.3M
- San Diego County
San Diego, CA (San Diego County) carries a FEMA National Risk Index score of 99.7/100, rated "Very High" and driven mainly by wildfire and earthquake, with roughly $1.5B in expected natural-hazard losses per year (FEMA NRI, 2025).
Exhibit 1 · Hazard scores, national percentile
95th percentile- Wildfire100
- Earthquake99.7
- Riverine flood99.7
- Heat wave98.7
- Hail77
- Coastal flood72.8
- Tornado64.4
- Drought59.4
- Strong wind52
- Hurricane8.3
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.
San Diego risk questions
Is San Diego, CA a high-risk area for real estate?
San Diego scores 99.7/100 on FEMA's National Risk Index, rated "Very High" versus all US counties. Its expected natural-hazard loss is about $1.5B per year.
What is the biggest natural hazard in San Diego?
The highest-rated hazard is wildfire (100/100), followed by earthquake (99.7/100).
How does hazard risk affect property insurance in San Diego?
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.