Earthquake deaths in United States
United States: Earthquake deaths was 1 in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Earthquake deaths in United States, 1812–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
United States recorded 1 for earthquake deaths in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 47 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 50.0% on the previous year and down 92.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, earthquake deaths in United States peaked at 700 in 1906 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1918.
That places United States 37th out of 51 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Earthquake deaths in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1812 | 41 | — |
| 1857 | 2 | -95.1% |
| 1868 | 107 | +5250.0% |
| 1872 | 27 | -74.8% |
| 1884 | 3 | -88.9% |
| 1886 | 60 | +1900.0% |
| 1899 | 6 | -90.0% |
| 1900 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 1906 | 700 | +13900.0% |
| 1915 | 6 | -99.1% |
| 1918 | 1 | -83.3% |
| 1925 | 13 | +1200.0% |
| 1927 | 1 | -92.3% |
| 1930 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 120 | +11900.0% |
| 1934 | 2 | -98.3% |
| 1935 | 4 | +100.0% |
| 1940 | 10 | +150.0% |
| 1946 | 168 | +1580.0% |
| 1949 | 8 | -95.2% |
| 1952 | 14 | +75.0% |
| 1954 | 1 | -92.9% |
| 1957 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 1958 | 5 | +150.0% |
| 1959 | 28 | +460.0% |
| 1964 | 139 | +396.4% |
| 1965 | 7 | -95.0% |
| 1969 | 1 | -85.7% |
| 1971 | 65 | +6400.0% |
| 1975 | 2 | -96.9% |
| 1980 | 61 | +2950.0% |
| 1983 | 2 | -96.7% |
| 1987 | 11 | +450.0% |
| 1989 | 62 | +463.6% |
| 1991 | 2 | -96.8% |
| 1992 | 3 | +50.0% |
| 1993 | 2 | -33.3% |
| 1994 | 57 | +2750.0% |
| 2001 | 1 | -98.2% |
| 2003 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 2007 | 12 | +500.0% |
| 2013 | 14 | +16.7% |
| 2014 | 1 | -92.9% |
| 2019 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 2023 | 1 | -50.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 1 is below the median for high income countries, which is 2, 50% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Earthquake deaths in United States changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 | +13900.0% | 5 | 700 |
| 1933 | +11900.0% | 1 | 120 |
| 1971 | +6400.0% | 1 | 65 |
| 1868 | +5250.0% | 2 | 107 |
| 1980 | +2950.0% | 2 | 61 |
| 1994 | +2750.0% | 2 | 57 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1810s | 41 | 41 | 41 | 1 |
| 1850s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1860s | 107 | 107 | 107 | 1 |
| 1870s | 27 | 27 | 27 | 1 |
| 1880s | 31.5 | 3 | 60 | 2 |
| 1890s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| 1900s | 352.5 | 5 | 700 | 2 |
| 1910s | 3.5 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| 1920s | 7 | 1 | 13 | 2 |
| 1930s | 25.6 | 1 | 120 | 5 |
| 1940s | 62 | 8 | 168 | 3 |
| 1950s | 10 | 1 | 28 | 5 |
| 1960s | 49 | 1 | 139 | 3 |
| 1970s | 33.5 | 2 | 65 | 2 |
| 1980s | 34 | 2 | 62 | 4 |
| 1990s | 16 | 2 | 57 | 4 |
| 2000s | 5 | 1 | 12 | 3 |
| 2010s | 5.33 | 1 | 14 | 3 |
| 2020s | 1.5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 37 Albania 1 compare
- 37 Azerbaijan 1 compare
- 37 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 compare
- 37 Canada 1 compare
- 37 Chile 1 compare
- 37 Colombia 1 compare
- 37 El Salvador 1 compare
- 37 Greece 1 compare
- 37 India 1 compare
- 37 Nicaragua 1 compare
- 37 Poland 1 compare
- 37 Solomon Islands 1 compare
- 37 Tanzania 1 compare
- 37 Turkey 1 compare
More health data for United States
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1867 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 4,015 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2023)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.056 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0261 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.1919 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0274 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is earthquake deaths in United States?
- Earthquake deaths in United States was 1 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest earthquake deaths recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 700 in 1906.
- What is the lowest earthquake deaths recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1918.
- How does United States rank for earthquake deaths?
- United States ranks 37th out of 51 countries with data for 2023.
- Is earthquake deaths rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 92.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Earthquake deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).