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Subject: E21) What is the total United States damage (before and after adjustment for inflation) and death toll for each year since 1900?

Contributed by Chris Landsea

**Estimated annual deaths and damages**
Year	Deaths	Damage ($ Millions)
Year	Deaths	Unadjusted	Adjusted	Normalized
1900	8,000	30¹	1,271 ²	37,541
1901	10	1	42 ²	904
1902	0	Minor	Minor	0
1903	15	1	42 ²	9,730
1904	5	2	84 ²	1,177
1905	0	Minor	Minor	0
1906	298	3	+ 127 ²	5,739
1907	0	Minor	Minor	0
1908	0	Minor	Minor	0
1909	406	8	339 ²	4,121
1910	30	1	42 ²	1,591
1911	17	1	+ 42 ²	304
1912	1	Minor	Minor	0
1913	5	3	127 ²	920
1914	0	Minor	Minor	0
1915	550	63	2,669 ³	33,344
1916	107	33	1,148	5,077
1917	5	Minor	Minor	0
1918	34	5	113	516
1919	287	22	447	7,543
1920	2	3	48	514
1921	6	3	61	4,584
1922	0	Minor	Minor	0
1923	0	Minor	Minor	0
1924	2	Minor	Minor	0
1925	6	Minor	Minor	0
1926	408	112	2,250	104,908
1927	0	Minor	Minor	0
1928	2,500	25	502	19,457
1929	3	1	18	190
1930	0	Minor	Minor	0
1931	0	Minor	Minor	0
1932	40	8	171	2,558
1933	63	47	1,117	4,892
1934	17	5	108	517
1935	414	12	259	4,469
1936	9	2	45	146
1937	0	Minor	Minor	0
1938	600	306	6,148	23,464
1939	3	Minor	Minor	0
1940	51	5	105	722
1941	10	8	155	1,410
1942	8	27	457	1,647
1943	16	17	270	2,131
1944	64	165	2,614	33,133
1945	7	80	1,237	9,958
1946	0	5	66	3,162
1947	53	136	1,497	15,196
1948	3	18	180	2,383
1949	4	59	590	8,707
1950	19	36	354	3,958
1951	0	2	17	256
1952	3	3	21	82
1953	2	6	42	37
1954	193	756	5,293	22,844
1955	218	985	6,757	17,204
1956	19	27	175	456
1957	400	152	960	3,186
1958	2	11	69	290
1959	24	23	147	582
1960	65	396	2,537	15,918
1961	46	414	2,664	9,340
1962	3	2	12	55
1963	10	12	75	194
1964	49	515	3,268	9,193
1965	75	1,445	8,921	16,557
1966	54	15	88	215
1967	18	200	1,146	2,673
1968	9	10	54	417
1969	256	1,421	7,201	14,298
1970	11	454	2,171	4,352
1971	8	213	954	1,580
1972	122	2,100	8,858	13,978
1973	5	18	70	123
1974	1	150	512	933
1975	21	490	1,533	2,290
1976	9	100	299	400
1977	0	10	28	42
1978	36	20	49	100
1979	22	3,045	6,769	11,264
1980	2	300	599	1,128
1981	0	25	46	102
1982	0	Minor	Minor	36
1983	22	2,000	3,523	5,289
1984	4	66	112	170
1985	30	4,000	6,641	8,567
1986	9	17	27	38
1987	0	8	12	17
1988	6	59	88	115
1989	56	7,670	10,989	13,436
1990	13	57	79	96
1991	16	1,500	2,064	2,234
1992	24	26,500	35,993	43,152
1993	4	57	74	83
1994	38	973	1,222	1,339
1995	29	3,723	4,498	4,860
1996	36	3,600	4,251	4,544
1997	4	100	114	121
1998	23	4,344	5,990	5,484
1999	62	5,532	5,907	6,222
2000	6	27	28	32
2001	45	5,260	6,314	6,254
2002	9	1,220	1,424	1,411
2003	24	3,600	4,007	3,970
2004	60	45,000	46,337	45,000
2005	2,280	120,000	120,000	120,000

Adjusted - Adjusted to 2005 dollars based on U.S. Department of Commerce Implicit Price Deflator for Construction.
Normalized - Normalization reflects inflation changes in personal wealth and coastal county population to 2004. (Pielke and Landsea 1998)

¹ 1900 could have been as high as 12,000.
² Considered too high in 1915 reference.
³ Using 1915 cost adjustment - none available prior to 1915.

This table ranks the top 30 years by deaths, by unadjusted damage and by adjusted damage. In most years the death and damage totals are the result of a single, major hurricane.

The Thirty Deadliest Years from 1851-2005
and Costliest Years from 1900 to 2004
Ranked on Deaths Ranked on Unadjusted Damage Ranked on Adjusted Damage Ranked by Normalized Damage

Rank Year Deaths Rank Year $ Millions Rank Year $ Millions Rank Year $ Millions

1 1900 8,000¹ 1 2005 120,000 1 2005 120,000 1 1926 104,908

2 1893 ~3,000^s 2 2004 45,000 2 2004 46,337 2 2004 45,000

3 1928 2,500 3 1992 26,500 3 1992 35,993 3 1992 43,152

4 2005 2,280 4 1989 7,670 4 1989 10,991 4 1900 37,541

5 1881 700 5 1999 5,532 5 1965 8,921 5 1915 33,344

6 1915 550 6 2001 5,260 6 1972 8,858 6 1944 33,133

7 1935 414 7 1998 4,344 7 1969 7,202 7 1938 23,464

8 1926 408 8 1985 4,000 8 1979 6,769 8 1954 22,844

9 1909 406 9 1995 3,723 9 1955 6,757 9 1928 19,457

10 1957 400 10 1996 3,600 10 1985 6,642 10 1955 17,204

11 1906 298 11 2003 3,600 11 2001 6,314 11 1965 16,557

12 1919 287 12 1979 3,045 12 1938 6,148 12 1960 15,918

12 1969 256 13 1972 2,100 13 1998 5,990 13 1947 15,196

14 1938 256 14 1983 2,000 14 1999 5,907 14 1969 14,298

15 1955 218 15 1991 1,500 15 1954 5,293 15 1972 13,978

16 1954 193 16 1965 1,445 16 1995 4,499 16 1989 13,436

17 1972 122 17 1969 1,421 17 1996 4,252 17 1979 11,264

18 1916 107 18 2002 1,220 18 2003 4,008 18 1945 9,958

19 1965 75 19 1955 985 19 1983 3,523 19 1903 9,730

20 1960 65 20 1994 973 20 1964 3,268 20 1961 9,340

21 1944 64 21 1954 756 21 1915 2,669³ 21 1964 9,193

22 1933 63 22 1964 515 22 1961 2,665 22 1949 8,707

23 1999 62 23 1975 490 23 1944 2,614 23 1985 8,567

24 2004 60 24 1970 454 24 1960 2,537 24 1919 7,543

25 1989 56 25 1961 414 25 1926 2,250 25 2001 6,254

26 1966 54 26 1960 396 26 1970 2,171 26 1999 6,222

27 1947 53 27 1938 306 27 1991 2,064 27 1906 5,739

28 1940 51 28 1980 300 28 1975 1,533 28 1998 5,484

29 1964 49 29 1971 213 29 1947 1,497 29 1983 5,289

30 1961 46 30 1967 200 30 2002 1,424 30 1916 5,077

Notes:
Adjusted - Adjusted to 2004 dollars based on U.S. Department of Commerce Implicit Price Deflator for Construction.
Normalized - Landsea normalization reflects inflation, changes in personal wealth and coastal county population to 2004 (Pielke and Landsea 1998.)
¹ Could have been as high as 12,000.
² Considered too high in 1915 reference.
³ Using 1915 cost adjustment - none available prior to 1915.
⁴ Could include offshore losses.

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