Chicopee, MA: what USGS's seismic model says

Chicopee carries Seismic Design Category B under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Rank it against the rest of the country and Chicopee sits at the 52th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Chicopee by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Chicopee: 0.086g peak ground acceleration, 0.167g at short period, 0.055g at 1 second. Within Massachusetts alone, Chicopee ranks 51 of 58 cities by seismic hazard - the 12th percentile in-state. Chicopee has a population of about 55,381.

Bracing and bolting: the actual cost

A full earthquake retrofit typically runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally (around $7,000 typical), driven mainly by house size and foundation type, not by Massachusetts specifically. California's Earthquake Brace + Bolt grant, which covers a large share of this cost, is a California-only program and does not apply in Massachusetts.

Earthquake insurance for a Chicopee home

A Chicopee homeowner cannot buy a standalone earthquake policy in most cases - it is added to an existing homeowners policy as an endorsement, so the place to start is a regular home-insurance quote.

Where Chicopee's figures come from

Chicopee's Category B and every number above trace to USGS's own ASCE 7-16 Design Maps service - see the methodology guide. See the category explainer for what Category B does and doesn't tell you about Chicopee.