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Editorial

Most disaster-prone counties in Massachusetts

Massachusetts has 406 county-level FEMA disaster declarations across 14 counties. The dominant hazard type is hurricane. Essex County leads with 40 declarations, followed by Norfolk County and Suffolk County.

This ranking shows every county in Massachusetts ordered by how many times FEMA has issued a disaster declaration affecting it. Counties near coastlines, river systems, or wildfire corridors tend to appear at the top because the same geographic exposure produces recurring events across decades.

Each county links to a full disaster history page with the complete declaration timeline, hazard type breakdown, decade trends, and whatever FEMA spending data is available. For a national view, see the most disaster-prone counties in America page.

Massachusetts ranking

All counties by FEMA declaration count

#CountyDeclarationsTop hazardFirst yearLatest year
1Essex County40Severe Storm19722023
2Norfolk County38Severe Storm19722023
3Suffolk County38Severe Storm19722023
4Middlesex County35Severe Storm19852023
5Plymouth County32Hurricane19722023
6Worcester County32Severe Storm19852024
7Bristol County30Hurricane19722024
8Barnstable County27Hurricane19722023
9Hampden County24Hurricane19852023
10Berkshire County23Snowstorm19852023
11Hampshire County23Snowstorm19852023
12Dukes County22Hurricane19722023
13Franklin County22Snowstorm19852023
14Nantucket County20Hurricane19722023