Billion-Dollar Disasters by Decade

The 2010s saw a significant surge in billion-dollar disasters in the U.S., accounting for nearly half of all such events and costs since 1980. The decade recorded 119 billion-dollar disasters with costs exceeding $800 billion, with notable spikes in central states like Texas, Illinois, and Missouri. The document links these trends to climate change—specifically warmer oceans and a wetter atmosphere—and notes that pre-disaster adaptation spending saves an average of $6 in recovery costs.

• The 2010s represented a period of unprecedented disaster frequency and cost in the U.S., accounting for nearly half of the total number and cost of disasters since NOAA began record-keeping, after adjusting for inflation.
• During the 2010s, there were 119 billion-dollar disasters, which is double the amount seen in the previous decade, with total costs surpassing $800 billion.
• The increase in billion-dollar disasters is widespread across the U.S., affecting 65% (34 of 52) of states and territories. The most significant recent increases occurred in the central U.S., specifically Texas (33 more disasters), Illinois (23 more), and Missouri (22 more).
• Climate change intensifies disasters through warmer oceans fueling hurricanes, a warmer and wetter atmosphere increasing rainfall and inland flooding, sea level rise heightening coastal flooding, and heat and drought increasing wildfire risks in Alaska and the West.
• Investment in pre-disaster adaptation is highly cost-effective, with an average of $6 saved in post-disaster recovery for every dollar spent on adaptation.

APA

Climate Central (2020). Billion-Dollar Disasters by Decade. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/billion-dollar-disasters-by-decade-2020

Chicago

Climate Central. Billion-Dollar Disasters by Decade. 2020. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/billion-dollar-disasters-by-decade-2020.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Billion-Dollar Disasters by Decade |date=12 February 2020 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/billion-dollar-disasters-by-decade-2020 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2020billiondollar, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Billion-Dollar Disasters by Decade}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2020}, month = feb, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/billion-dollar-disasters-by-decade-2020}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }