Easthampton, MA: what USGS's seismic model says

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Easthampton in Seismic Design Category B: 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 Easthampton sits at the 52th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Easthampton by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Easthampton: 0.085g peak ground acceleration, 0.165g at short period, 0.056g at 1 second. Within Massachusetts alone, Easthampton ranks 58 of 58 cities by seismic hazard - the 0th percentile in-state. Easthampton has a population of about 16,020.

What a retrofit costs in Easthampton

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.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Easthampton 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 Easthampton's figures come from

Easthampton'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 Easthampton.