Essex, MA
Essex County in Massachusetts has 16 FEMA disaster declarations on record covering 1972–2023, most recently Hurricane Lee on Sep 15, 2023 (DR-3599). Its flood risk grade is A (Low risk), ranking #1251 of 3,277 U.S. counties, with 121 NFIP flood insurance claims totaling $3,021,311 in payouts. Flood risk is relatively low compared to the national average.
FEMA Disaster Declarations in Essex County
The 16 most recent federally declared disasters affecting Essex County, MA (1972–2023). Total declarations on record: 16.
| Declared | Incident Type | Title | FEMA Disaster # |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 15, 2023 | Hurricane | Hurricane Lee | DR-3599 |
| Oct 28, 2012 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy | DR-3350 |
| Aug 26, 2011 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene | DR-3330 |
| Sep 2, 2010 | Hurricane | Hurricane Earl | DR-3315 |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | DR-3252 |
| Apr 21, 2004 | Flood | Flooding | DR-1512 |
| Jun 23, 1998 | Flood | Heavy Rains and Flooding | DR-1224 |
| Oct 25, 1996 | Flood | Extreme Weather Conditons and Flooding | DR-1142 |
| Oct 23, 1996 | Flood | Extreme Weather Conditions and Flooding | DR-3119 |
| Dec 21, 1992 | Coastal Storm | Winter Coastal Storm | DR-975 |
| Nov 4, 1991 | Coastal Storm | Coastal Storm | DR-920 |
| Aug 26, 1991 | Hurricane | Hurricane Bob | DR-914 |
| Apr 18, 1987 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-790 |
| Oct 28, 1985 | Hurricane | Hurricane Gloria | DR-751 |
| Feb 10, 1978 | Flood | Coastal Storms, Flood, Ice & Snow | DR-546 |
| Mar 6, 1972 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-325 |
Score Breakdown
The composite score of 12 is calculated from four weighted factors. See our methodology for details.
Other Counties in Massachusetts
| County | Grade | Score | Claims | Disasters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstable | A | 12 | 98 | 13 |
| Suffolk | A | 11 | 47 | 16 |
| Hampshire | A | 11 | 4 | 7 |
| Norfolk | A | 11 | 72 | 17 |
| Berkshire | A | 11 | 1 | 7 |
| Franklin | A | 11 | 0 | 7 |
More Counties in Massachusetts
Frequently Asked Questions
How many FEMA disaster declarations does Essex County, MA have?
Essex County, MA has 16 federal disaster declarations on FEMA record (1972–2023). The 5 most recent are: Hurricane Lee (declared Sep 15, 2023, DR-3599); Hurricane Sandy (declared Oct 28, 2012, DR-3350); Hurricane Irene (declared Aug 26, 2011, DR-3330); Hurricane Earl (declared Sep 2, 2010, DR-3315); Hurricane Katrina Evacuation (declared Sep 13, 2005, DR-3252). Counts include flood, severe storm, hurricane, and coastal storm declarations from the OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries dataset.
What is the flood risk grade for Essex County, MA?
Essex County is graded A (composite score 12/100, low risk). It ranks #1251 of 3,277 U.S. counties for flood risk in our scoring model. The grade combines NFIP claims density (40%), disaster frequency (25%), claim severity (20%), and year-over-year trend (15%).
How many NFIP flood insurance claims have been filed in Essex County?
121 NFIP flood insurance claims have been filed in Essex County, MA, totaling $3,021,311 in payouts. The average claim is $24,970. Source: FEMA FimaNfipClaims v2 dataset.
Has Essex County, MA had any recent flood disasters?
Yes. The most recent FEMA declaration affecting Essex County was Hurricane Lee on Sep 15, 2023 (DR-3599). The county has 16 declared disasters in the OpenFEMA record covering 1972–2023.
For this entity, the underlying data on this page comes from FEMA OpenFEMA datasets including the National Flood Hazard Layer and NFIP claims. The breakdown above is the federal record; the paragraphs below add the per-entity context that makes the headline numbers usable for a real decision rather than just a data lookup.
Every number on this page links back to FEMA OpenFEMA datasets including the National Flood Hazard Layer and NFIP claims; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. ZIPs, counties, and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA datasets, 2026.