6 FEMA areas

Earthquake Risk by City in Utah

Compare 10 cities using FEMA's relative earthquake scores and annualized frequency for the county-equivalent areas shown.

Highest relative score

99.6/100

Salt Lake County

Covered cities: Salt Lake City, Sandy, West Jordan, and West Valley City

Lowest relative score in this set

87.5/100

Washington County

Covered cities: St. George

These are relative FEMA scores for county-equivalent areas. They are not annual probabilities or property-level findings.

Utah earthquake rankings

Cities sharing a FEMA area are grouped together and receive the same score.

RankFEMA area and citiesRatingScoreAnnualized frequency
#1

Salt Lake County

Salt Lake CitySandyWest JordanWest Valley City
Relatively High99.6/1000.41% per year
#2

Utah County

OremProvo
Relatively High98.9/1000.35% per year
#3

Weber County

Ogden
Relatively High98.5/1000.51% per year
#4

Davis County

Layton
Relatively High98.4/1001.06% per year
#5

Cache County

Logan
Relatively Moderate96.9/1000.44% per year
#6

Washington County

St. George
Relatively Low87.5/1000.18% per year

FEMA models earthquake annualized frequency as the probability of a qualifying occurrence in a given year across the FEMA geography shown.

Preparing for earthquake

Ready.gov Earthquakes ↗

For a home or move

  • ✓Check whether your home has an unbraced cripple wall, an unbolted foundation, or an unsecured water heater; use a qualified local professional for retrofit decisions.
  • ✓Review the earthquake exclusions, deductible, and temporary-living coverage in your insurance documents.
  • ✓Use official state or local maps to check shaking, fault, and liquefaction information for the property; the FEMA geography does not contain parcel details.

For a household plan

  • ✓Secure tall furniture and heavy objects that could fall where people sleep or sit.
  • ✓Practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On and choose an out-of-area household contact.
  • ✓Keep sturdy shoes, a flashlight, water, and essential medications accessible after shaking.

Questions about earthquake risk in Utah

Which covered Utah cities have the highest relative earthquake risk?

Salt Lake City, Sandy, West Jordan, and West Valley City use FEMA data for Salt Lake County, which has the highest relative earthquake score in this covered set at 99.6/100. Cities sharing the same FEMA area share the same score.

Which covered Utah area has the lowest relative earthquake score?

Washington County has the lowest score in this covered set at 87.5/100. This is a relative FEMA comparison, not a declaration that every property there is safe.

Are these earthquake figures city-level?

No. The city links provide geographic navigation, while the scores and frequencies cover the FEMA county-equivalent areas shown in the table. Address-level conditions require local maps and property details.

Is the FEMA relative score an annual probability?

No. The relative score compares FEMA areas on a 0–100 scale. Annualized frequency appears separately with hazard-specific units.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.19.0, released March 2023. Hazard data covers FEMA county-equivalent areas.

FEMA source ↗Our methodology →