---
title: Shelby, AL — natural hazard risk profile & national ranking
source: FEMA National Risk Index (county-level)
sourceUrl: https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/
fips: 01117
---

# Shelby, AL

Alabama · pop. 222,782 · FIPS 01117

**FEMA risk rating: Relatively Moderate** · dominant hazard: Tornado · modeled expected annual loss $106M/yr

These risk dimensions are FEMA/CDC MODELS (a rating, not records of disasters); population is a recorded census figure.

## Where Shelby ranks among 3,232 U.S. counties

Each rank is COMPUTED — the county's modeled score placed within the national distribution. A rank within a model, not within observed disasters.

| Dimension | This county | National rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FEMA risk index | 90.27 | ≈ 90th pct — among the highest nationally (national median 50.02, n=3,144) |
| Expected annual loss | $106M | ≈ 33rd pct — lower than most counties (33rd percentile) (national median $15M, n=3,232) |
| Social vulnerability | 16.57 | ≈ 16th pct — among the lowest nationally (national median 50.03, n=3,144) |
| Community resilience | 74.01 | ≈ 74th pct — near the national middle (74th percentile) (national median 50.02, n=3,144) |

## Realized flood losses in Shelby (RECORDED — NFIP claims)

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid **797** flood-insurance claims totaling **$19M** in Shelby since 1979. The costliest year of loss was **2021** ($10M paid).

| Metric | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Total claims paid | $19,194,692 |
| Claims | 797 |
| Average claim | $24,084 |
| Largest single claim | $500,000 |
| Claims since 2000 | 463 |
| In high-risk flood zones (A/V) | 61% |

These are **RECORDED** actual paid NFIP claims (a redacted census from OpenFEMA), not a model — the realized counterpart to the FEMA risk score above. **Scope:** flood-*insurance* claims UNDERCOUNT flooding where owners were uninsured ("what NFIP paid," not "every flood"); county-level totals, not a per-property verdict. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v2 (`src:openfema:nfip-claims-v2:2026`). Verify an address and buy coverage at https://www.floodsmart.gov/.

## What this is — and is NOT (interpretation)

This is FEMA/CDC **modeled** hazard exposure for Shelby, AL and its national rank. It is **not** a verdict on whether Shelby is a good or bad place to live (hazard exposure is not place quality), **not** a per-property or per-address assessment, **not** a prediction of any specific disaster, and **not** insurance advice. For site-specific risk use a per-property assessment; for the model see https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/.

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Structured data (JSON-LD), with each figure's status labeled: `/property/counties/01117.jsonld`