Florida Riskiest State for Property Damage by Natural Disasters, Michigan Safest

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According to a new report by CoreLogic, Florida ranks as the U.S. state with the highest level of risk exposure to multiple natural hazards, while Michigan is considered the state with the lowest level of risk.

A national ranking was generated using the CoreLogic Hazard Risk Score, an analytics tool that measures overall natural hazard risk. The analysis was based on data derived from nine natural hazards: flood, wildfire, tornado, storm surge, earthquake, straight-line wind, hurricane wind, hail and sinkhole. Each state was assigned a score ranging from 0 to 100 based on the level of composite risk exposure.

Of the top five riskiest states, Florida received the highest score at 94.51, followed by Rhode Island (79.67), Louisiana (79.23), California (75.56) and Massachusetts (72.12). The states that scored the lowest include Michigan (20.22), West Virginia (20.67), New York (24.97), North Dakota (27.5) and Vermont (28.31).

"Florida's high level of risk is driven by the potential for hurricane winds and storm surge damage along its extensive Atlantic and Gulf coastline, as well as the added potential for sinkholes, flooding and wildfires. Michigan alternatively ranks low for most natural hazard risks, other than flooding," said Dr. Howard Botts, vice president and chief scientist for CoreLogic Spatial Solutions. "In the past, natural hazards have been difficult to compare and combine in a meaningful way. Hazard Risk Score measures risk concentration consistently and pinpoints the riskiest places in the U.S. with timely and granular accuracy. This insight is critical in conducting comparative risk management nationwide and fully understanding exposure to potential natural hazard damage."