10 FEMA areas

Earthquake Risk by City in Washington

Compare 18 cities using FEMA's relative earthquake scores and annualized frequency for the county-equivalent areas shown.

Highest relative score

99.8/100

King County

Covered cities: Auburn, Bellevue, Federal Way, Kent, Kirkland, Renton, and Seattle

Lowest relative score in this set

94.3/100

Spokane County

Covered cities: Spokane and Spokane Valley

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

Washington earthquake rankings

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

Rank	FEMA area and cities	Rating	Score	Annualized frequency
#1	King County Auburn Bellevue Federal Way Kent Kirkland Renton Seattle	Very High	99.8/100	0.62% per year
#2	Pierce County Tacoma	Relatively High	99.5/100	0.74% per year
#3	Snohomish County Everett Marysville	Relatively High	99.3/100	0.54% per year
#4	Thurston County Olympia	Relatively High	98.9/100	0.74% per year
#5	Clark County Vancouver	Relatively High	98.7/100	0.41% per year
#6	Kitsap County Bremerton	Relatively High	98.6/100	0.86% per year
#7	Whatcom County Bellingham	Relatively Moderate	97.8/100	0.55% per year
#8	Yakima County Yakima	Relatively Moderate	97.7/100	0.28% per year
#9	Benton County Kennewick	Relatively Moderate	95.7/100	0.19% per year
#10	Spokane County Spokane Spokane Valley	Relatively Moderate	94.3/100	0.11% 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 Washington

Which covered Washington cities have the highest relative earthquake risk?

Auburn, Bellevue, Federal Way, Kent, Kirkland, Renton, and Seattle use FEMA data for King County, which has the highest relative earthquake score in this covered set at 99.8/100. Cities sharing the same FEMA area share the same score.

Which covered Washington area has the lowest relative earthquake score?

Spokane County has the lowest score in this covered set at 94.3/100. 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 →