Facts + Statistics: U.S. catastrophes

Natural catastrophes

Aon defines a catastrophe as a natural event that causes any of the following:

$25 million or more in insured property losses
ten deaths
50 people injured
2,000 filed claims or homes and structures damaged.

Aon’s natural catastrophe estimates include Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and include losses sustained by private insurers and government-sponsored programs such as the National Flood Insurance Program. They are subject to change as loss estimates are further developed.

Natural Catastrophe Losses In The United States By Peril, 2024 (1)

($ millions)

Peril	Number of events	Fatalities	Economic losses (2)	Insured losses (3)
Tropical cyclone	5	328	$121,555	$43,717
Severe convective storm	49	99	68,579	53,967
Wildfire, drought, heatwave	9	1,033	10,519	5,548
Winter weather	6	89	6,809	4,020
Flooding	12	27	10,189	5,323
Total	81	1,576	$217,651	$112,575

(1) Natural disasters that cause at least $25 million in insured losses; or 10 deaths; or 50 people injured; or 2,000 filed claims or homes and structures damaged. Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
(2) Includes any direct physical damage or direct net loss business interruption costs.
(3) Includes losses sustained by private insurers and government-sponsored programs such as the National Flood Insurance Program. Subject to change as loss estimates are further developed. As of January 2025.

Source: Aon.

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Natural Catastrophes By Quarter, 2024 (1)

(2024 $ millions)

Quarter	Estimated insured losses
1	$18,680
2	36,587
3	35,186
4	22,377
Full year	$112,830

(1) Natural disasters that cause at least $25 million in insured losses; or 10 deaths; or 50 people injured; or 2,000 filed claims or homes and structures damaged. Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Includes losses sustained by private insurers and government-sponsored programs such as the National Flood Insurance Program. Subject to change as loss estimates are further developed. As of January 2025.

Source: Aon.

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Estimated Insured Property Losses, U.S. Natural Catastrophes, 2015-2024 (1)

($ billions)

Year	In dollars when occurred	In 2024 dollars (2)
2015	$23.0	$30.7
2016	31.9	41.9
2017	131.0	168.1
2018	60.9	76.4
2019	39.2	48.5
2020	81.5	99.3
2021	93.3	108.7
2022	109.6	116.9
2023	80.0	82.9
2024	112.8	112.8

(1) Natural disasters that cause at least $25 million in insured losses; or 10 deaths; or 50 people injured; or 2,000 filed claims or homes and structures damaged. Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Includes losses sustained by private insurers and government-sponsored programs such as the National Flood Insurance Program. Subject to change as loss estimates are further developed. As of January 2025. Adjusted for inflation by Aon using the U.S. Consumer Price Index.

Source: Aon.

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Top 10 Costliest Natural Catastrophes, United States (1)

($ millions)

			Estimated insured property loss
Rank	Year	Peril	Dollars when occurred	In 2024 dollars (2)
1	2005	Hurricane Katrina	$65,000	$104,471
2	2022	Hurricane Ian	54,000	57,231
3	2021	Hurricane Ida	36,000	41,540
4	2012	Hurricane Sandy	30,000	40,939
5	2017	Hurricane Harvey	30,000	38,571
6	2017	Hurricane Irma	30,050	38,432
7	2017	Hurricane Maria	29,511	37,743
8	1992	Hurricane Andrew	16,000	35,845
9	1994	Northridge Earthquake	15,300	33,035
10	2008	Hurricane Ike	18,200	26,259

(1) Natural disasters that cause at least $25 million in insured losses; or 10 deaths; or 50 people injured; or 2,000 filed claims or homes and structures damaged. Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Includes losses sustained by private insurers and government-sponsored programs such as the National Flood Insurance Program. Subject to change as loss estimates are further developed. As of January 2025.
(2) Adjusted for inflation by Aon using the U.S. Consumer Price Index.

Source: Aon.

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