61
2025 (latest)
MAJOR DISASTER DECLARATIONS
declarations · 1953–2025 · neither direction is "better" · computed from OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries
10
1953
100
high · 2020
5
low · 1958
+510%
since 1953
┊ dashed lines mark 1979 Oil shock & inflation peak · 1987 Black Monday crash · 1991 Gulf War recession · 2001 Dot-com bust & 9/11 · 2008 Global financial crisis · 2020 COVID-19 pandemic
Method & caveats. Filter declarationType=DR; deduplicate county/designated-area records by disasterNumber; count by fyDeclared. Completed fiscal years through 2025; ongoing FY2026 excluded. Stafford Act 1988 baseline; COVID-19 caused a 2020 anomaly. Fiscal years use FEMA fyDeclared. Breaks: Stafford Act 1988 baseline; COVID-19 caused a 2020 anomaly. Fiscal years use FEMA fyDeclared.
Sources
Every value on this page is read from the publisher below. Current and historical source documents:
- https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries
- https://github.com/danielmiessler/substrate/tree/main/Data/US-Energy-And-Environment
Data
| Year | Major disaster declarations | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 61 | −31% |
| 2024 | 88 | +29% |
| 2023 | 68 | +31% |
| 2022 | 52 | −12% |
| 2021 | 59 | −41% |
| 2020 | 100 | +47% |
| 2019 | 68 | +24% |
| 2018 | 55 | −8% |
| 2017 | 60 | +46% |
| 2016 | 41 | −7% |
| 2015 | 44 | −8% |
| 2014 | 48 | −26% |
| 2013 | 65 | +41% |
| 2012 | 46 | −53% |
| 2011 | 98 | +24% |
| 2010 | 79 | +25% |
| 2009 | 63 | −7% |
| 2008 | 68 | +0% |
| 2007 | 68 | +28% |
| 2006 | 53 | +18% |
| 2005 | 45 | −31% |
| 2004 | 65 | +5% |
| 2003 | 62 | +48% |
| 2002 | 42 | −16% |
| 2001 | 50 | +25% |
| 2000 | 40 | −25% |
| 1999 | 53 | −13% |
| 1998 | 61 | +24% |
| 1997 | 49 | −32% |
| 1996 | 72 | +148% |
| 1995 | 29 | −19% |
| 1994 | 36 | −8% |
| 1993 | 39 | −15% |
| 1992 | 46 | +18% |
| 1991 | 39 | +11% |
| 1990 | 35 | +21% |
| 1989 | 29 | +71% |
| 1988 | 17 | −29% |
| 1987 | 24 | −20% |
| 1986 | 30 | +58% |
| 1985 | 19 | −46% |
| 1984 | 35 | +75% |
| 1983 | 20 | −13% |
| 1982 | 23 | +53% |
| 1981 | 15 | −40% |
| 1980 | 25 | −39% |
| 1979 | 41 | +58% |
| 1978 | 26 | +44% |
| 1977 | 18 | −45% |
| 1976 | 33 | −11% |
| 1975 | 37 | −20% |
| 1974 | 46 | +0% |
| 1973 | 46 | +7% |
| 1972 | 43 | +126% |
| 1971 | 19 | +19% |
| 1970 | 16 | −43% |
| 1969 | 28 | +56% |
| 1968 | 18 | +100% |
| 1967 | 9 | −25% |
| 1966 | 12 | −64% |
| 1965 | 33 | +83% |
| 1964 | 18 | −28% |
| 1963 | 25 | +56% |
| 1962 | 16 | +45% |
| 1961 | 11 | −15% |
| 1960 | 13 | +63% |
| 1959 | 8 | +60% |
| 1958 | 5 | −72% |
| 1957 | 18 | +0% |
| 1956 | 18 | −10% |
| 1955 | 20 | +43% |
| 1954 | 14 | +40% |
| 1953 | 10 | — |
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