---
title: Buncombe, NC — natural hazard risk profile & national ranking
source: FEMA National Risk Index (county-level)
sourceUrl: https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/
fips: 37021
---

# Buncombe, NC

North Carolina · pop. 269,305 · FIPS 37021

**FEMA risk rating: Relatively Moderate** · dominant hazard: Landslide · modeled expected annual loss $82M/yr

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

## Where Buncombe 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 | 89.34 | ≈ 89th pct — higher than 89% of counties (national median 50.02, n=3,144) |
| Expected annual loss | $82M | ≈ 25th pct — lower than most counties (25th percentile) (national median $15M, n=3,232) |
| Social vulnerability | 34.99 | ≈ 35th pct — lower than most counties (35th percentile) (national median 50.03, n=3,144) |
| Community resilience | 70.71 | ≈ 71st pct — near the national middle (71st percentile) (national median 50.02, n=3,144) |

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

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid **1,190** flood-insurance claims totaling **$104M** in Buncombe since 1978. The costliest year of loss was **2024** ($81M paid).

| Metric | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Total claims paid | $103,959,744 |
| Claims | 1,190 |
| Average claim | $87,361 |
| Largest single claim | $1,000,000 |
| Claims since 2000 | 1,039 |
| In high-risk flood zones (A/V) | 73% |

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 Buncombe, NC and its national rank. It is **not** a verdict on whether Buncombe 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/37021.jsonld`