Climate Investment Score
How unusually exposed a city is to natural hazards, from earthquakes and wildfire to hurricanes and floods, and how well it is preparing for them.
Definition
The Climate Investment Score answers two questions an investor asks about a city. How exposed is it? Which natural hazards are unusually likely to damage property here, compared with other US cities. How well is it preparing? Whether the city plans for those hazards, manages flood risk, wins federal money to reduce it and funds its own protection. Higher is better: less unusual exposure and stronger preparation.
Exposure carries more of the score than preparation, so a well-prepared city in a dangerous place still shows the danger.
What goes into it
| Component | What it captures | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hazard exposure | Expected yearly property damage from each of 15 hazards, compared with the typical US city: earthquake, wildfire, inland and coastal flooding, hurricane, tornado, hail, strong wind, landslide, tsunami, volcanic activity, avalanche, winter weather, ice storm and lightning | FEMA National Risk Index, 2020 Census blocks |
| Hazard mitigation plan | Whether the city is covered by a current FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plan | FEMA Hazard Mitigation Plan Statuses |
| Flood insurance program standing | Participation in good standing in the National Flood Insurance Program, with credit for the Community Rating System class the city has earned | FEMA NFIP Community Status Book |
| FEMA mitigation projects secured | Federal hazard mitigation money obligated to the city since 2016, per resident | FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance |
| City resilience spending | Inflation-adjusted spending per resident on fire protection, flood control and building inspection | Census government finances, BLS CPI |
Hazard levels compare a city with the typical US city: moderate is about typical, high is about twice it, very high four times or more. Neighborhood estimates are combined to city limits using where residents live, from 2020 Census blocks.
Why exposure is compared, not just added up
FEMA’s latest Risk Index estimates that rainfall and river flooding damage property almost everywhere, more in total than earthquakes, hurricanes and wildfire combined. Adding up dollars would make nearly every city’s biggest risk “flooding” and hide what actually sets a place apart. CityCites compares each hazard with the typical US city instead, so San Francisco’s earthquake risk, Paradise’s wildfire risk and New Orleans’ hurricane risk show up as what they are. The dollar estimates are still shown for every hazard.
Heat and cold
Extreme heat and cold waves cause little property damage, but they harm people. FEMA estimates that harm from county death and injury records. Because it describes the county rather than the city, and isn't property damage, CityCites reports it beside the score as a health risk instead of inside it.
Example
San Ramon, CA
Distribution
8,079 US cities. Highlighted bar: San Ramon (37).
Sources
- FEMA National Risk Index (census tracts) · December 2025
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 block populations · 2021-08
- FEMA Hazard Mitigation Plan Statuses (OpenFEMA) · 2026-11
- FEMA NFIP Community Status Book, with Community Rating System classes (OpenFEMA) · 2026-10-28
- FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance subapplications (OpenFEMA) · 2026-11
- U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (individual unit files) · FY 2024
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U (CUUR0000SA0) · 2024 annual average
- FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (flood insurance rate maps) · 2026-10-29
Coverage & confidence
FEMA publishes its Risk Index for every US census tract, and its plan, flood insurance and grant records cover nearly every community. Where a city can't be found in one of FEMA’s preparedness records, that part is left out and completeness drops; confidence is lower when completeness is under 75%.
Limitations
- FEMA's hazard models describe long-run historical risk; they are not forward-looking climate projections.
- Several storm hazards are estimated county-wide and don't distinguish neighborhoods.
- Preparation is measured by plans, programs, grants and spending, not by how well the money is used.
- Fire protection run by a separate fire district doesn't appear in the city's own spending.
- Drought is not included: FEMA measures it as crop losses.
- This is not an insurance rating and should not be used for underwriting.
Technical methodology
Technical methodology for partners
Data partners receive the full technical methodology: exact inputs, time windows, weights, normalization and validation rules, so their model-risk, compliance and data-science teams can review every score.
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