Risk Index · San Francisco County · 2026-06-13
San Francisco, CA real-estate risk
- Risk score
- 99.5/100
- Very High
- Expected annual loss
- $853M
- all hazards, county-wide
- Buildings-only loss
- $540M
- what owners and insurers carry
- Population
- 874K
- San Francisco County
San Francisco, CA (San Francisco County) carries a FEMA National Risk Index score of 99.5/100, rated "Very High" and driven mainly by earthquake and riverine flood, with roughly $853M in expected natural-hazard losses per year (FEMA NRI, 2025).
Exhibit 1 · Hazard scores, national percentile
95th percentile- Earthquake99.8
- Riverine flood98.6
- Heat wave93.9
- Drought69.3
- Coastal flood62
- Tornado34.9
- Wildfire28.7
- Hail18.1
- Strong wind10.3
Each score is the county's percentile against every US county for that hazard (0-100).
What it means for insurance
Earthquake exposure sits behind most California deals. Most policies exclude it, so a separate quake rider (or its absence) materially changes the risk-adjusted return.
San Francisco risk questions
Is San Francisco, CA a high-risk area for real estate?
San Francisco scores 99.5/100 on FEMA's National Risk Index, rated "Very High" versus all US counties. Its expected natural-hazard loss is about $853M per year.
What is the biggest natural hazard in San Francisco?
The highest-rated hazard is earthquake (99.8/100), followed by riverine flood (98.6/100).
How does hazard risk affect property insurance in San Francisco?
Earthquake exposure sits behind most California deals. Most policies exclude it, so a separate quake rider (or its absence) materially changes the risk-adjusted return.
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.