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Facts + Statistics: U.S. catastrophes
2017 natural catastrophes
Insured losses due to natural disasters in the United States in 2017 totaled $78 billion, according to Munich Re, more than triple the $23.8 billion total for 2016. Tropical cyclones with $49.1 billion in losses accounted for 63 percent of U.S. insured losses in 2017. Severe thunderstorms losses, at $18.2 billion, accounted for about 23 percent of the 2017 insured losses. Wildfires, heat waves and drought produced $9.5 billion in insured losses in 2017, or about 12 percent of total. Winter storms and cold waves caused $1.2 billion in insured losses, and floods and flash floods accounted for $100 million in insured losses in 2017.
2017 natural and man-made catastrophes
Property Claim Services (PCS®), a Verisk Analytics® business, defines a catastrophe as an event that causes $25 million or more in insured property losses and affects a significant number of property/casualty (P/C) policyholders and insurers. PCS estimates represent anticipated insured losses from natural and man-made catastrophes on an industrywide basis, reflecting the total net insurance payment for personal and commercial property lines of insurance covering fixed property; vehicles, boats; related-property items; business interruption; and additional living expenses. They exclude loss adjustment expenses. P/C insurance industry catastrophes losses in the United States soared 370 percent to $101.9 billion from $21.7 billion in 2016, according to PCS. Insured losses in 2017 were the highest since PCS began collecting insured loss data in 1949. The number of catastrophes rose to 46 in 2017 from 42 in 2016, the highest number of catastrophes for years with an industry loss event threshold of $25 million.
Natural Catastrophe Losses In The United States, 2017
(Based on perils)
Source: © 2018 Munich Re, NatCatSERVICE; Property Claim Services (PCS®)*, a Verisk Analytics® business. As of January 2018.
Below are charts from Munich Re, which include flood insurance losses in its calculations. The reinsurer estimated insured natural catastrophe losses in the United States for 2016 at $23.8 billion.
Loss Events in the U.S. 1980-2017
(Number of relevant events by peril)
Source: © 2018 Munich Re, Geo Risks Research, NatCatSERVICE. As of January 2018.
Loss Events in the U.S. 1980-2017
(Overall and insured losses)
Source: © 2018 Munich Re, Geo Risks Research, NatCatSERVICE. As of January 2018.
Loss Events in the U.S. 1980-2017
(Overall losses: nominal, inflation adjusted, and normalized)
Source: © 2018 Munich Re, Geo Risks Research, NatCatSERVICE. As of January 2018.
Convective Storm Events* in the U.S. 1980-2017
(Overall and insured losses)
Source: © 20187 Munich Re, Geo Risks Research, NatCatSERVICE. As of January 2018.
Convective Storm Events* in the U.S. 1980-2017
(Overall losses: nominal, inflation adjusted, and normalized)
Source: © 2018 Munich Re, Geo Risks Research, NatCatSERVICE. As of January 2018.
U.S., total catastrophes
The Property Claim Services (PCS) division of Verisk Analytics defines a catastrophe as an event that causes $25 million or more in insured property losses and affects a significant number of property/casualty policyholders and insurers. The estimates in the following chart represent anticipated insured losses from catastrophes on an industrywide basis, reflecting the total net insurance payment for personal and commercial property lines of insurance covering fixed property, vehicles, boats, related-property items, business interruption and additional living expenses.
Estimated Insured Property Losses, U.S. Catastrophes, 2008-2017 (1)
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(1) Includes catastrophes causing insured property losses of at least $25 million in 1997 dollars and affecting a significant number of policyholders and insurers. Does not include losses covered by the federally administered National Flood Insurance Program.
(2) Adjusted for inflation through 2017 by the Insurance Information Institute using the GDP implicit price deflator.
Source: Property Claim Services® (PCS® ), a unit of ISO® , a Verisk Analytics® company; Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Top 10 Costliest Catastrophes, United States (1)
($ millions)
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(1) Property losses only. Excludes flood damage covered by the federally administered National Flood Insurance Program.
(2) Adjusted for inflation through 2017 by the Insurance Information Institute using the GDP implicit price deflator.
(3) Loss estimate not yet available from PCS, but a relative ranking is provided.
Source: The Property Claim Services® (PCS®) unit of ISO®, a Verisk Analytics® company, Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Inflation-Adjusted U.S. Insured Catastrophe Losses By Cause Of Loss, 1997-2016 (1)
(2016 $ billions)
(1) Adjusted for inflation through 2016 by ISO using the GDP implicit price deflator. Excludes catastrophes causing direct losses less than $25 million in 1997 dollars. Does not include flood damage covered by the federally administered National Flood Insurance Program.
(2) Includes other wind, hail, and/or flood losses associated with catastrophes involving tornadoes.
(3) Includes wildland fires.
(4) Includes losses from civil disorders, water damage, utility service disruptions, and any workers compensation catastrophes generating losses in excess of PCS's threshold after adjusting for inflation.
Source: The Property Claim Services® (PCS®) unit of ISO®, a Verisk Analytics® company.
2017 catastrophes
- Puerto Rico had the costliest insured catastrophe losses in 2017, $26.9 billion, followed by Texas with $22.2 billion in losses. Florida ranked third in 2017 for insured catastrophe losses, with $16.5 billion, according to Property Claim Services®, a unit of ISO®, a Verisk Analytics® business.
- Other states and territories with high insured catastrophe losses in 2017 were California, with $15.2 billion in losses, and the U.S. Virgin Islands with $5.0 billion in losses.
Top Seven States and Territories By Insured Catastrophe Losses, 2017 (1)
($ millions)
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(1) Includes catastrophes causing insured property losses of at least $25 million in 1997 dollars and affecting a significant number of policyholders and insurers. Excludes losses covered by the federally administered National Flood Insurance Program.
Source: The Property Claim Services® (PCS®) unit of ISO®, a Verisk Analytics® company.
Top Three States By Inflation-Adjusted Insured Catastrophe Losses, 1987-2016 (1)
(2016 $ billions)
(1) Adjusted for inflation through 2016 by ISO using the GDP implicit price deflator. Excludes catastrophes causing direct losses less than $25 million in 1997 dollars. Excludes flood damage covered by the federally administered National Flood Insurance Program.
(2) Includes the other 47 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Source: The Property Claim Services® (PCS®) unit of ISO®, a Verisk Analytics® company.
