Risk Index · Santa Clara County · 2026-06-13
San Jose, CA real-estate risk
- Risk score
- 99.7/100
- Very High
- Expected annual loss
- $2.0B
- all hazards, county-wide
- Buildings-only loss
- $1.6B
- what owners and insurers carry
- Population
- 1.9M
- Santa Clara County
San Jose, CA (Santa Clara County) carries a FEMA National Risk Index score of 99.7/100, rated "Very High" and driven mainly by earthquake and riverine flood, with roughly $2.0B in expected natural-hazard losses per year (FEMA NRI, 2025).
Exhibit 1 · Hazard scores, national percentile
95th percentile- Earthquake99.9
- Riverine flood99.8
- Drought99.2
- Heat wave98.6
- Wildfire97.4
- Coastal flood88.8
- Tornado55.8
- Hail37.5
- Strong wind9.4
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 Jose risk questions
Is San Jose, CA a high-risk area for real estate?
San Jose scores 99.7/100 on FEMA's National Risk Index, rated "Very High" versus all US counties. Its expected natural-hazard loss is about $2.0B per year.
What is the biggest natural hazard in San Jose?
The highest-rated hazard is earthquake (99.9/100), followed by riverine flood (99.8/100).
How does hazard risk affect property insurance in San Jose?
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.