Best States for Disaster Preparedness

Over the past decade, natural disasters have caused roughly $1.5 trillion in damages across the U.S. Despite the need for preparation, the latest data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency shows that only 57% of adults have taken three or more preparedness actions, even though 77% believe they are likely to be impacted by disasters.

To highlight the states that understand the importance of disaster preparedness and the ones that need to improve, SmileHub compared the 50 states across 14 key metrics. The data set ranges from disaster relief charities per capita to medical reserve corps volunteers per capita to emergency management budget per capita.

If you want to support disaster preparation and relief but don’t know where to donate, check out our picks for the Best Charities for Disaster Relief in 2026.

• Main Findings
• Methodology

Main Findings

Best States for Disaster Preparedness

Overall Rank*	State	Total Score	Resilience Infrastructure & Support Capacity Rank	Disaster Prevention Planning & Funding Rank	Disaster Risk & Lasting Damage Rank
1	Vermont	61.75	6	3	5
2	Massachusetts	56.84	1	26	3
3	Hawaii	56.35	17	6	7
4	Alaska	53.86	19	5	16
5	Rhode Island	53.32	10	19	6
6	North Dakota	53.02	3	8	34
7	Pennsylvania	51.41	2	24	20
8	Utah	51.29	21	18	2
9	Maryland	48.38	5	27	17
10	South Dakota	47.97	18	9	37
11	Wisconsin	47.64	26	21	9
12	Iowa	47.60	34	2	35
13	Minnesota	47.19	7	38	13
14	New Hampshire	47.08	13	42	4
15	North Carolina	47.07	14	4	45
16	Ohio	46.95	9	28	18
17	Maine	46.88	29	31	1
18	Washington	46.81	39	17	10
19	Oregon	46.76	24	20	14
20	Delaware	45.84	11	41	8
21	California	44.60	42	13	23
22	Connecticut	44.39	16	40	11
23	West Virginia	44.26	22	23	19
24	New York	44.06	8	30	29
25	Virginia	43.89	4	36	32
26	Kentucky	43.38	41	11	33
27	Colorado	43.35	32	16	27
28	Florida	43.15	48	1	47
29	Nebraska	42.58	40	14	36
30	New Jersey	40.77	12	43	21
31	Missouri	40.51	37	15	40
32	Michigan	40.00	31	45	12
33	New Mexico	38.29	45	25	28
34	Louisiana	38.11	44	7	48
35	Georgia	37.90	47	10	44
36	Texas	37.88	23	12	49
37	Idaho	37.68	36	47	15
38	Arkansas	36.21	43	22	43
39	Oklahoma	35.80	15	34	46
40	Montana	35.76	35	37	31
41	Illinois	35.49	27	46	30
42	Tennessee	35.44	20	39	41
43	Wyoming	34.96	25	48	25
44	Kansas	34.49	38	35	39
45	South Carolina	34.10	46	29	38
46	Alabama	34.05	33	33	42
47	Indiana	33.98	28	50	22
48	Arizona	33.84	30	49	24
49	Nevada	30.47	50	44	26
50	Mississippi	24.78	49	32	50

Notes: *1 = Best

With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

 

Methodology

To determine the best states for disaster preparedness, SmileHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) Resilience Infrastructure & Support Capacity, 2) Disaster Prevention Planning & Funding and 3) Disaster Risk & Lasting Damage.

We evaluated those dimensions using 14 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of disaster preparedness. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for population differences across states.

We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.

Resilience Infrastructure & Support Capacity – Total Points: 40

• Disaster Relief Charities per Capita*: Full Weight (~5.71 Points)
• Physicians per Capita: Full Weight (~5.71 Points)
• Mental Health Counselors per Capita: Full Weight (~5.71 Points)
• National Guard Members per Capita: Full Weight (~5.71 Points)
• Medical Reserve Corps Members per Capita: Full Weight (~5.71 Points)
• Fire/Police Stations per Capita*: Full Weight (~5.71 Points)
• Access to a Computer or Smartphone: Full Weight (~5.71 Points)
  Note: This composed metric includes the share of households with access to a computer and the share of adults owning a smartphone.

Disaster Prevention Planning & Funding – Total Points: 35

• Emergency Management Budget per Capita: Double Weight (~14.00 Points)
• Presence of an Enhanced Disaster Mitigation Plan: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
  Note: As of Jan 24, 2025, 16 states earned Federal Emergency Management Agency approval for their enhanced state mitigation plan. These states are now eligible to receive more funds under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program following a disaster declaration. To receive approval of an enhanced plan, a state must show that it has developed a comprehensive mitigation program and is capable of managing increased funding for its mitigation goals.
  
  • 0 - no disaster mitigation plan;
  • 0.5 - accepted disaster mitigation plan;
  • 1 - accepted enhanced disaster mitigation plan.
• Public Health Funding per Capita: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
  Note: This metric represents state dollars dedicated to public health per person (including federal grants directed to states from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources & Services Administration).
• National Health Security Preparedness Index: Full Weight (~7.00 Points)
  Note: The index considers six gauges of preparedness: Health security surveillance, community planning and engagement, information and incident management, health-care delivery, countermeasure management, and environmental and occupational health.

Disaster Risk & Lasting Damage – Total Points: 25

• Community Resilience Score: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
  Note: Community resilience is the ability of a community to prepare for anticipated natural hazards, adapt to changing conditions, and withstand and recover rapidly from disruptions. A higher community resilience score results in a lower overall risk index.
• Number of Climate Disasters Causing $1 Billion+ in Damage (1980 - Dec 31, 2024): Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
• Loss Amount From Climate Disasters Causing $1 Billion+ in Damage per Capita (1980 - Dec 31, 2024): Full Weight (~8.33 Points)

 
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Defense Defense Manpower Data Center, U.S. Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, U.S. Fire Administration, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Esri, Federal Emergency Management Agency, United Health Foundation, National Health Security Preparedness Index and National Centers for Environmental Information.