GeraSure / County Hazard Risk / Washington, PA
Washington County, Pennsylvania: Natural Hazard Risk
Gera County Hazard Score: 33.5/100 (Low) · FEMA Rating: Very Low · Population: 209,274. Based on FEMA National Risk Index (November 2023).
What is the natural hazard risk for Washington County, Pennsylvania?
Washington County, Pennsylvania has a Gera County Hazard Score (GCHS) of 33.5/100 (Low), based on FEMA National Risk Index November 2023 data. Its Expected Annual Loss rank is 51.5/100, social vulnerability rank 18.6/100 and community resilience rank 89.1/100, covering a population of 209,274.
GCHS components — Washington County (November 2023)
| Component | Score / 100 | GCHS Weight | Contribution | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expected Annual Loss (EAL) | 51.5 | 50% | 25.8 | Estimated annual losses from 18 natural hazards |
| Social Vulnerability (SOVI) | 18.6 | 30% | 5.6 | Community factors affecting disaster response capacity |
| Lack of Resilience (100 − RESL) | 11 | 20% | 2.2 | Resilience score 89.1/100 → inverted so higher = more hazard |
| Gera County Hazard Score (GCHS) | 33.5 | 100% | 33.5 | Low — composite index |
GCHS = 0.50 × 51.5 + 0.30 × 18.6 + 0.20 × (100 − 89.1) = 33.5. All inputs are FEMA NRI percentile ranks 0–100.
Washington County Hazard Checker
Explore what the GCHS means for insurance and disaster preparedness in this county.
Gera County Hazard Score (GCHS)
What this means for insurance
Counties with a Low GCHS tend to have competitive insurance markets and fewer mandatory endorsements.
GCHS is computed by Gera from FEMA NRI data. It is a risk-context index — not an insurance premium quote. Actual premiums depend on your specific property and chosen coverage.
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Washington County hazard risk: frequently asked questions
- What does a GCHS of 33.5/100 mean for Washington County?
- A GCHS of 33.5/100 places Washington County in the "Low" band. This is a relatively low hazard score, reflecting below-average expected losses and good community resilience (89.1/100). Standard insurance policies are typically straightforward to obtain here.
- Which natural hazards most affect Washington County?
- The GCHS is computed from FEMA's Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score, which aggregates 18 natural hazard types: hurricanes, riverine flooding, tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes, hail, drought, winter weather, lightning, strong wind, coastal flooding, cold wave, heat wave, ice storm, landslide, avalanche, tsunami and volcanic activity. Washington County's EAL rank is 51.5/100 — moderate across all hazard types.
- What is the FEMA National Risk Index?
- The FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) is a publicly available dataset produced by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency that measures the risk of natural hazards for every US county and census tract. It combines 18 natural hazard types, community social vulnerability and community resilience into a single expected-loss-based risk score. Gera computes the GCHS from the NRI's county-level EAL, SOVI and RESL percentile scores using a documented formula.
- How does Washington County compare to the national average?
- The national mean GCHS across the 480 most-populous US counties is 66.1/100. Washington County scores 33.5/100, which is 32.6 points below the national mean. FEMA's own risk rating for this county is "Very Low".
Other PA counties
All counties →Contains public sector information published by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and licensed under the US Government open data, public domain. Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) — Harvard Dataverse (November 2023, published 2024).
Full GCHS formula and verification: Gera County Hazard Score methodology.