Nature
Dying in an earthquake
Odds
1 in 150,000
lifetime (US avg) · United States (avg; CA/AK higher)
What this means
National averages hide huge regional spread — always read geography before comparing.
Methodology
Soft US-average lifetime estimate. California, Alaska, and Pacific Northwest risk is far higher than Midwest or East Coast averages.
Updated 2026-01-15
Source
USGS-adjacent / NSC-style summaries ↗Share
Odds of dying in an earthquake: 1 in 150,000 (lifetime (US avg)). — How Likely Is That? https://www.howlikelyisthat.com/odds/odds-of-dying-in-an-earthquake
Compare this event
See how it stacks up against something else — get a shareable “N× more likely” line.