# Six Florida Counties Rank Top 10 Nationally for Hurricane Vulnerability
*Lee County leads list based on FEMA data; report highlights storm history and financial impact risks across state.*

- Medio: Civic Coast News (https://civiccoastnews.com)
- URL: https://civiccoastnews.com/noticia/six-florida-counties-rank-top-10-nationally-for-hurricane-vulnerability
- Sección: Society
- Autor: Civic Coast News Staff
- Publicado: 2026-08-13T07:11:35.005Z
> Six Florida counties rank among the nation's most hurricane-vulnerable areas according to a recent report using FEMA data. Lee County leads the rankings due to its history with major storms like Ian.

## Las claves

- Six Florida counties are ranked in the national top ten for hurricane vulnerability based on a new assessment released August 11.
- Lee County holds the number one spot, while Bay, Charlotte, Collier, Polk, and Sarasota Counties occupy other high-risk positions.
- This ranking highlights severe damage from recent storms like Hurricane Ian and Tropical Storm Helene as key factors in determining risk scores.

Six Florida counties have been identified among the top 10 most vulnerable to hurricanes in a new national assessment released on August 11. The rankings, which prioritize areas with significant storm histories and high financial impacts, place Lee County at the number one spot nationwide. This designation follows severe damage inflicted by Hurricane Ian in 2022 and subsequent effects from Tropical Storm Helene in 2024.

### Methodology Behind the Rankings

The report was compiled by Lawn Starter, a national landscaping startup co-founded in Austin. The organization utilized data from FEMA’s National Risk Index, along with metrics from NOAA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Counties were scored on a scale of 1 to 100 based on overall hurricane risk, storm history over the past decade, financial impact, and disaster cleanup costs.

Only counties rated by FEMA as having "relatively moderate" to "very high" hurricane risk were included in this specific analysis. Lee County achieved a total score of 67.74, surpassing Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, which ranked second with a score of 62.96.

### Other High-Risk Florida Counties

Beyond Lee County, five other Florida jurisdictions secured spots in the national top 10. Bay County placed third on the list, while Charlotte County took fifth place. Collier County ranked seventh, Polk County eighth, and Sarasota County tenth.

Additional Florida counties appeared further down the national list but still demonstrated significant vulnerability. Manatee County ranked 11th, Hillsborough County 12th, Monroe County 13th, Brevard County 15th, Miami-Dade County 20th, and Palm Beach County 25th, [NBC News](https://nbcnews.com) reported.

### Historical Context and Storm Data

Data from Colorado State University indicates that Florida experiences more encounters with tropical cyclones than any other U.S. state. Historically, 274 named storms have come within 50 miles of the state's borders. Monroe County leads coastal counties in storm frequency according to CSU data, recording 103 named storm encounters, as this newspaper reported in [Florida Cold Front Brings Storm Threats Amidst Heat Advisories](/noticia/florida-cold-front-brings-storm-threats-amidst-heat-advisories).

Other high-frequency areas include Miami-Dade, Brevard, Palm Beach, Collier, and Broward Counties, all of which rank among the top 20 most storm-prone counties nationally. Conversely, Baker and Union County did not make the hurricane ranking list due to their classification as having "relatively low" risk.
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Fuente original: https://civiccoastnews.com/noticia/six-florida-counties-rank-top-10-nationally-for-hurricane-vulnerability