The Atlantic hurricane season typically runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, although tropical cyclone activity may often occur before and after the typical hurricane season, and includes regions that are along the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. This means that for a vast majority of the year, many counties and regions in these areas are at risk of all that these storms can bring. Like other climatological phenomena these days, hurricanes do not always behave as we expect them to, and post-season occurrences are not out of the question.
Far up the Atlantic Coast are the New England states that can also deal with the aftereffects of major hurricanes. These violent storms can even cross the Atlantic (Hurricane Ophelia swept over Ireland in October 2017), but it is the states along the lower southeastern seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico that bear their brunt.
24/7 Wall St. consulted gutter services company Gutter Gnome’s study, 2023’s Most Hurricane-Vulnerable Counties, to determine the 35 most hurricane-vulnerable counties in America. Drawing on data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the site developed an index for the 318 U.S. counties with a Hurricane Risk Score determined by the NCDP.
The index comprises nine differently weighted metrics such as hurricane risk, hurricane history over the past decade, and expected annual loss from hurricanes provides a score out of 100, with higher scores denoting greater vulnerability. County population figures are U.S. Census Bureau estimates as of July 1, 2022. (On a more granular level, these are the U.S. cities where hurricanes would cause the most damage.)
Some counties that have been ravished by hurricanes in the past did not make the list because the history metrics considered only the past 10 years. Most notably, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, which was all but leveled by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but has been relatively calm ever since, is not on the list. (See these before and after pictures of the worst hurricanes in American history.)
Not surprisingly, a dozen of the most vulnerable counties are in Florida, with almost all the rest in North or South Carolina. Georgia and Texas also have one county each. While coastal counties are the most likely to be affected, being inland is no guarantee of safety. Several counties on the list are 100 miles or more from the sea. And while Texas appears here only once, its Harris County — home of Houston, the nation’s fourth largest metro area — stands to suffer the most financially from hurricanes to the tune of more than $1.1 billion a year.
Here are the most hurricane-vulnerable counties in America.
35. Orangeburg County, SC
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- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 51.5 out of 100
- Risk rank: #108 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #17 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #116 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 83,094
34. Dare County, NC
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 52.02 out of 100
- Risk rank: #55 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #43 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #51 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 36,314
33. Hillsborough County, FL
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- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 52.05 out of 100
- Risk rank: #5 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #183 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #5 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 1,525,108
32. Colleton County, SC
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 52.24 out of 100
- Risk rank: #142 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #2 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #153 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 36,702
31. Martin County, FL
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 52.97 out of 100
- Risk rank: #42 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #56 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #39 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 162,678
30. Pasco County, FL
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- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 53.01 out of 100
- Risk rank: #10 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #102 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #14 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 592,146
29. Craven County, NC
Source: Eifel Kreutz / iStock via Getty Images
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 53.07 out of 100
- Risk rank: #44 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #43 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #46 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 102,112
28. Robeson County, NC
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 53.11 out of 100
- Risk rank: #88 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #17 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #105 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 131,559
27. Jasper County, SC
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- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 53.49 out of 100
- Risk rank: #126 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #2 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #147 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 27,713
26. Duplin County, NC
Source: usdagov / Flickr
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 53.61 out of 100
- Risk rank: #83 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #17 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #96 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 58,838
25. Bladen County, NC
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 54.23 out of 100
- Risk rank: #117 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #2 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #132 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 32,612
24. Polk County, FL
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- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 54.29 out of 100
- Risk rank: #31 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #53 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #38 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 748,967
23. Brunswick County, NC
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 54.34 out of 100
- Risk rank: #37 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #43 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #27 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 156,872
22. Columbus County, NC
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 54.37 out of 100
- Risk rank: #115 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #2 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #134 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 55,634
21. Pender County, NC
Source: cbpphotos / Flickr
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 54.4 out of 100
- Risk rank: #76 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #17 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #79 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 64,902
20. Volusia County, FL
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 54.55 out of 100
- Risk rank: #41 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #30 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #41 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 571,209
19. Carteret County, NC
Source: Eifel Kreutz / iStock via Getty Images
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 54.74 out of 100
- Risk rank: #33 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #43 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #26 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 73,290
18. Collier County, FL
Source: felixmizioznikov / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 54.98 out of 100
- Risk rank: #12 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #84 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #10 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 407,383
17. Florence County, SC
Source: thescang / Flickr
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 55.8 out of 100
- Risk rank: #99 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #2 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #103 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 136,114
16. St. Lucie County, FL
Source: felixmizioznikov / iStock via Getty Images
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 55.83 out of 100
- Risk rank: #20 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #56 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #21 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 335,419
15. Orange County, FL
Source: ablokhin / iStock via Getty Images
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 57.02 out of 100
- Risk rank: #22 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #30 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #24 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 1,452,137
14. New Hanover County, NC
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- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 57.73 out of 100
- Risk rank: #15 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #43 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #13 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 243,085
13. Harris County, TX
Source: Eric Overton / iStock via Getty Images
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 57.89 out of 100
- Risk rank: #1 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #280 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #1 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 4,780,913
12. Georgetown County, SC
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- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 59.61 out of 100
- Risk rank: #60 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #2 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #56 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 64,183
11. Brevard County, FL
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- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 59.98 out of 100
- Risk rank: #7 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #55 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #7 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 618,147
10. Onslow County, NC
Source: Eifel Kreutz / iStock via Getty Images
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 60.75 out of 100
- Risk rank: #23 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #17 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #20 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 212,539
9. Dorchester County, SC
Source: scguard / Flickr
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 60.97 out of 100
- Risk rank: #46 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #2 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #47 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 168,424
8. Chatham County, GA
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 62.5 out of 100
- Risk rank: #13 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #17 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #12 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 295,703
7. Berkeley County, SC
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 62.76 out of 100
- Risk rank: #32 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #2 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #31 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 235,297
6. Beaufort County, SC
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 64.93 out of 100
- Risk rank: #21 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #2 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #18 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 196,952
5. Miami-Dade County, FL
Source: alejandrophotography / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 65.1 out of 100
- Risk rank: #2 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #84 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #4 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 2,758,931
4. Horry County, SC
Source: usdagov / Flickr
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 66.31 out of 100
- Risk rank: #11 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #2 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #11 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 363,008
3. Charleston County, SC
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- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 68.17 out of 100
- Risk rank: #9 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #2 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #8 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 417,129
2. Palm Beach County, FL
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- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 72.09 out of 100
- Risk rank: #4 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #26 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #3 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 1,525,570
1. Broward County, FL
Source: JillianCain / iStock via Getty Images
- Overall hurricane-vulnerability score: 72.7 out of 100
- Risk rank: #3 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Hurricane history rank: #26 highest risk out of 318 counties
- Financial impact rank: #2 highest impact out of 318 counties
- Population (2022): 1,984,988
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