MoneyGeek Analysis:
States Where Homeowners & Renters Are Most At-Risk for Hail Damage in 2022
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Peak hail season in the U.S. occurs from May to August — are you prepared? Hail can damage your home significantly and result in thousands of dollars of repairs, especially if you don't have adequate, affordable home insurance coverage.
To find the states with the most predicted hail risk in 2022, MoneyGeek analyzed expected annualized losses from hail overall and per capita.
States With the Most Hail Risk for Homeowners & Renters
MoneyGeek used data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) National Risk Index datasets and calculated annual expected total losses and per capita losses by state to find the states with the highest predicted hail risk in 2022. Our ranking is in order of most to least risk per capita, with the No.1 state having the most risk per capita.
Colorado’s hail risk is the highest in the country. Indeed, Colorado locals are no stranger to hail storms, experiencing an average of 234 hail events per year and $30.13 in per capita losses. In particular, seven of Colorado’s ten most costly hail storms occurred in the Denver Metro area, with the most expensive storm producing $2.3 billion in total damages in 2017.
Following Colorado is Nebraska, with locals experiencing an average of 319 hail storms annually, typically occurring from May to July.
Oklahoma has the third-highest hail risk in the nation, with $21.46 in expected per capita losses and 159 hail incidents reported in 2021 alone.
- 15. Georgia
- $4.20Building & Population Losses per Capita
- $40.7 millionBuilding & Population Losses
- 14. Mississippi
- $4.53Building & Population Losses per Capita
- $13.4 millionBuilding & Population Losses
- 13. Wyoming
- $4.71Building & Population Losses per Capita
- $2.7 millionBuilding & Population Losses
- 12. Arkansas
- $4.76Building & Population Losses per Capita
- $13.9 millionBuilding & Population Losses
- 11. Wisconsin
- $5.56Building & Population Losses per Capita
- $31.6 millionBuilding & Population Losses
- 10. Minnesota
- $6.19Building & Population Losses per Capita
- $32.8 millionBuilding & Population Losses
- 9. Missouri
- $8.29Building & Population Losses per Capita
- $49.7 millionBuilding & Population Losses
- 8. Iowa
- $9.10Building & Population Losses per Capita
- $27.7 millionBuilding & Population Losses
- 7. Kansas
- $11.49Building & Population Losses per Capita
- $32.8 millionBuilding & Population Losses
- 6. Texas
- $13.46Building & Population Losses per Capita
- $338.4 millionBuilding & Population Losses
- 5. North Dakota
- $13.69Building & Population Losses per Capita
- $9.2 millionBuilding & Population Losses
- 4. South Dakota
- $15.57Building & Population Losses per Capita
- $12.7 millionBuilding & Population Losses
- 3. Oklahoma
- $21.46Building & Population Losses per Capita
- $80.5 millionBuilding & Population Losses
- 2. Nebraska
- $27.81Building & Population Losses per Capita
- $50.8 millionBuilding & Population Losses
- 1. Colorado
- $30.13Building & Population Losses per Capita
- $151.5 millionBuilding & Population Losses
How Homeowners & Renters Can Prepare for Hail
Planning for a hailstorm is crucial to minimizing the damage to your home. Living in a hailstorm-prone area may mean investing in more solid roofing and windows, such as impact-resistant storm shutters and asphalt shingles. Even if you live in a state that only occasionally gets hailstorms, you will still want to prepare by cleaning gutters, repairing roof damages and closing chimneys. These and the following additional tips can help ensure you're ready should a hailstorm hit your home.
Follow these tips to help you protect your property from hail damage:
- Evaluate your home’s condition. Take a look at your roof and overall home to ensure no leakages occur. Make sure to have any roof damage repaired as soon as possible.
- Clear any debris. You can minimize the potential damage to your home by keeping eavestroughs clear of debris and trimming trees and shrubs regularly.
- Protect assets located outside the home. If you have a vehicle, livestock or pets located outside your home, make sure to find a place to protect them by bringing them inside or to another secure area, if possible.
- Secure your windows, glass doors and skylights. Cover areas protected by glass with drapes, blinds or window shades to reduce the impact of broken glass and flying debris.
- Upgrade your roof and windows. Make sure to upgrade your roof and windows to impact-resistant versions, which can reduce the likelihood of damage.
- Have an emergency plan. Think through and stock up on any essential items you’d need if the power went out, like food, water, necessary medications and flashlights.
It’s also essential to plan for the aftermath of hail damage. Financial preparedness can also go a long way to ensure you won’t have to spend too much on repairs. This means securing the best homeowners insurance or best renters insurance policy for your needs to help pay for any property damage caused by natural disasters, including hail.
If you own a car, having affordable full coverage car insurance is essential to insure yourself against any damages caused by a hailstorm.
Expert Insights on How Climate Change Impacts Hail Storms
To help you gain more insight into how the strength of hail storms relates to climate change and how they can damage your home, MoneyGeek asked experts for their insights.
- Have hail storms become more catastrophic in recent years?
- Is climate change impacting the frequency and severity of hail storms in the U.S. and the world?
- In what ways can homeowners protect their homes and assets from hail storms?
Chief Meteorologist at YourCast
Owner of Sol Visa Roofing
Full Data Set
MoneyGeek’s full data set provides a detailed look at the economic impacts of hail damage by state. The state-level analysis considers the average annualized expected losses due to building damage and population exposure.
The table below uses the following terminology:
- Building & Population Losses per Capita: Total expected annualized building and population losses per person based on population size.
- Building & Population Losses: The expected annualized losses associated with building destruction and damages, injury and loss of life using a FEMA-determined statistical value of life of $7.6 million.
- Annual Average Number of Hail Events (2018–2021): Average number of hail events per year using hail events occurring from 2018 to 2021.
Rank | State | Building & Population Losses per Capita | Building & Population Losses | Average Annual Number of Hail Events (2018–2021) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Colorado | $30.13 | $151,540,124 | 234 |
2 | Nebraska | $27.81 | $50,789,184 | 319 |
3 | Oklahoma | $21.46 | $80,487,423 | 236 |
4 | South Dakota | $15.57 | $12,673,567 | 302 |
5 | North Dakota | $13.69 | $9,211,039 | 204 |
6 | Texas | $13.46 | $338,434,396 | 667 |
7 | Kansas | $11.49 | $32,790,393 | 419 |
8 | Iowa | $9.10 | $27,729,526 | 129 |
9 | Missouri | $8.29 | $49,657,261 | 182 |
10 | Minnesota | $6.19 | $32,843,959 | 196 |
11 | Wisconsin | $5.56 | $31,639,100 | 85 |
12 | Arkansas | $4.76 | $13,878,481 | 96 |
13 | Wyoming | $4.71 | $2,654,879 | 124 |
14 | Mississippi | $4.53 | $13,437,972 | 75 |
15 | Georgia | $4.20 | $40,719,967 | 62 |
16 | Ohio | $3.45 | $39,794,375 | 68 |
17 | Illinois | $3.10 | $39,812,637 | 105 |
18 | Kentucky | $2.44 | $10,573,351 | 44 |
19 | Indiana | $2.41 | $15,654,462 | 58 |
20 | North Carolina | $1.61 | $15,354,426 | 71 |
21 | Montana | $1.45 | $1,438,561 | 150 |
22 | Michigan | $1.32 | $13,002,424 | 47 |
23 | Tennessee | $1.25 | $7,945,359 | 65 |
24 | West Virginia | $1.24 | $2,294,033 | 33 |
25 | New Mexico | $1.18 | $2,420,631 | 75 |
26 | Louisiana | $1.13 | $5,102,030 | 61 |
27 | South Carolina | $0.99 | $4,568,784 | 41 |
28 | Virginia | $0.74 | $5,922,522 | 58 |
29 | Arizona | $0.69 | $4,394,553 | 29 |
30 | Alabama | $0.61 | $2,919,997 | 64 |
31 | Idaho | $0.52 | $809,852 | 18 |
32 | District of Columbia | $0.24 | $145,517 | 1 |
33 | Vermont | $0.23 | $143,245 | 2 |
34 | New Hampshire | $0.21 | $279,185 | 17 |
35 | Pennsylvania | $0.18 | $2,291,653 | 74 |
36 | Maine | $0.16 | $212,934 | 13 |
37 | Nevada | $0.15 | $409,361 | 3 |
38 | Utah | $0.15 | $415,118 | 9 |
39 | Oregon | $0.14 | $527,915 | 12 |
40 | Alaska | $0.12 | $85,998 | 0 |
41 | Delaware | $0.12 | $107,563 | 4 |
42 | New York | $0.09 | $1,751,604 | 37 |
43 | New Jersey | $0.07 | $647,224 | 18 |
44 | Hawaii | $0.07 | $89,143 | 0 |
45 | Florida | $0.05 | $866,520 | 39 |
46 | Massachusetts | $0.05 | $297,667 | 12 |
47 | Washington | $0.04 | $277,048 | 5 |
48 | Maryland | $0.04 | $226,044 | 21 |
49 | California | $0.02 | $910,303 | 8 |
50 | Rhode Island | $0.02 | $23,387 | 2 |
51 | Connecticut | $0.02 | $70,405 | 7 |
Methodology
MoneyGeek analyzed FEMA’s National Risk Index datasets to calculate the expected annual hail-related financial losses for each city from building damage and population exposure data, which considers the FEMA-determined statistical value of life to be $7.6 million.
To calculate per capita risk, MoneyGeek utilized state populations as of 2016. We calculated the average number of annual hail events using National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data from 2018 to 2021.
The National Risk Index data also includes estimates for agricultural losses due to hail, which were excluded from MoneyGeek’s analysis.
About Melody Kasulis
sources
- FEMA. "National Risk Index." Accessed July 8, 2022.
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Annual Severe Weather Report Summary - 2018." Accessed July 15, 2022.
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Annual Severe Weather Report Summary - 2021." Accessed August 1, 2022.
- Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association. "Hail." Accessed August 2, 2022.
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "The Hail Storm: Why Here? Why Now?." Accessed August 2, 2022.