At a glance
What this dataset shows
- FEMA disaster declarations by state represent counts of federally recognized disaster events, not damage severity or risk levels.
- Tennessee has the highest count with 15 disaster declarations as of the latest data in 2026.
- The data covers all 50 states and reflects FEMA administrative counts only.
- The source data comes from OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 and the official FEMA disaster declarations lookup page.
- This dataset is strictly a count measure and does not include qualitative or financial damage estimates, so individual disaster severity needs separate verification.
01 / Exact values
Major disaster declarations by state
Fifty-state comparison; counts are administrative declarations, not storms, claims, damage or risk.
| State | Declarations |
|---|---|
| Tennessee | 15 |
| Alaska | 13 |
| Kentucky | 13 |
| Kansas | 11 |
| Missouri | 11 |
| Nebraska | 10 |
| West Virginia | 10 |
| Vermont | 9 |
| California | 8 |
| Florida | 8 |
| Maine | 8 |
| New Hampshire | 8 |
| New York | 8 |
| North Dakota | 8 |
| Oklahoma | 8 |
| Arkansas | 7 |
| Montana | 7 |
| Washington | 7 |
| Georgia | 6 |
| Iowa | 6 |
| Mississippi | 6 |
| Texas | 6 |
| Virginia | 6 |
| Louisiana | 5 |
| Minnesota | 5 |
| North Carolina | 5 |
| South Dakota | 5 |
| Alabama | 4 |
| Hawaii | 4 |
| Illinois | 4 |
| New Mexico | 4 |
| Oregon | 4 |
| Rhode Island | 4 |
| South Carolina | 4 |
| Colorado | 3 |
| Connecticut | 3 |
| Michigan | 3 |
| New Jersey | 3 |
| Idaho | 2 |
| Indiana | 2 |
| Massachusetts | 2 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 |
| Utah | 2 |
| Wyoming | 2 |
| Arizona | 1 |
| Delaware | 1 |
| Maryland | 1 |
| Nevada | 1 |
| Ohio | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 1 |
04 / Context
FEMA Disaster Declarations by State: Exact Table and Scope
The following table presents official counts of FEMA disaster declarations by state as captured in the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 dataset and verified on the FEMA disaster declarations official website as of September 14, 2026. Each number corresponds to how many distinct disaster declarations FEMA has issued for that particular state. These counts reflect administrative disaster declarations, which can include natural events such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and others, but do not imply any direct measure of physical damage or risk exposure.
This data is valuable for researchers, policymakers, emergency managers, or members of the public interested in understanding the frequency of FEMA-recognized disasters on a state-by-state basis without conflating it with damage quantity or severity.
- Tennessee leads with 15 disaster declarations.
- Several states including Alaska and Kentucky have 13 declarations each.
- Most states have between 2 and 10 declarations.
- Arizona, Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, Ohio, and Wisconsin have the fewest, each with 1 declaration.
- Data reflects administrative declaration counts only, not disaster impact or cost.
05 / Context
Source Limits and Data Reuse Guidance
The primary data are sourced exclusively from OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 available at FEMA's official OpenFEMA data page, along with human-readable declarations on FEMA’s disaster declarations official website. These sources provide detailed declaration records, but users must note the dataset represents counts only and does not include damage estimates, assistance volumes, or hazard severity.
Because the data are administrative in nature, they do not reflect the intensity or financial impact of disasters directly. For event-specific details such as eligibility, disaster severity, or funding outcomes, users should refer to each declaration's official page on FEMA’s website.
The OpenFEMA data is publicly available and can be reused under FEMA’s data terms. Users should always verify latest counts via the official FEMA lookup tools and cite FEMA as the source when redistributing or referencing this data.
- Official FEMA data sources ensure authoritative declaration counts.
- No damage or risk information included; counts are administrative declarations only.
- For detailed disaster details, consult individual FEMA declaration pages.
- Data is current as of September 14, 2026; users should verify for updates later than this date.
- Reuse under FEMA terms with appropriate attribution is permitted.
06 / Context
Verifying FEMA Disaster Declarations: Practical Checklist
To accurately verify or utilize FEMA disaster declaration counts by state, follow this checklist:
1. Access the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 dataset directly for raw data downloads or meta-information.
2. Confirm declaration counts against FEMA's official disaster declarations lookup webpage for human-readable event records and any recent updates beyond September 14, 2026, if applicable to your use case or research timing. It is important as disaster declarations can be issued or amended over time, adjusting totals for states therefore accuracy depends on timely checks. 3. Distinguish administrative counts from impact data; do not use this count alone to assess disaster severity or financial assistance levels. 4. If specific disaster details matter, such as assistance eligibility or event-specific damage estimates, check the indicated disaster declaration's official FEMA page directly. 5. When publishing or sharing data derived from these sources, attribute FEMA as the official source and mention the date the data was last verified (2026-09-14).
- Download OpenFEMA declarations data for raw counts.
- Use FEMA’s disaster declarations website for narrative and updates.
- Do not assume count equates to damage or risk severity.
- Verify individual disaster info on FEMA’s official event pages.
- Cite FEMA and note data verification date in publications.
07 / Context
Conclusion
This report provides an objective, state-by-state enumeration of FEMA disaster declarations, enabling a clear and transparent view of declared federal disasters without conflating this with damage extent or hazard risk. Users should consider this administrative count as a foundational reference, supplementing it with event-level details from official FEMA pages to grasp the full context, severity, or assistance associated with these declarations. Using official FEMA sources ensures reliability and the opportunity for ongoing verification or updates post-September 14, 2026. This dataset serves as a valuable informational tool for understanding the distribution of federally recognized disasters across the United States.
Conclusion
Use the table with its definition.
FEMA disaster declarations by state provide an important administrative overview of how often federal disasters are formally recognized in each state, distinct from damage or risk analysis. Our sourced fifty-state table enables factual comparison and encourages consultation of event-specific FEMA pages for deeper insights. Maintaining data accuracy with official sources supports transparency and informed decision-making regarding disaster impacts, preparedness, and response.
Sources and limits
Read the source notes before reusing the numbers.
This page preserves the dataset scope, period and limitations. The figures are not a forecast, an insurance estimate, a measure of individual risk, or a ranking beyond the selection described above.
OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2
Primary declaration fields and data documentation.
Open official source ↗FEMA disaster declarations
Official lookup for human-readable declaration records.
Open official source ↗OpenAI assisted with explanatory prose. Tables and charts are rendered from checked local source snapshots.