Moorhead, MN: what USGS's seismic model says

Moorhead carries Seismic Design Category A under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. Lowest seismic design category. Building code requires no seismic-specific detailing here beyond ordinary construction practice. Nationally, Moorhead ranks above 10% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 10th percentile.

How Moorhead compares

USGS's underlying values for Moorhead: 0.029g peak ground acceleration, 0.059g at short period, 0.019g at 1 second. Within Minnesota alone, Moorhead ranks 9 of 155 cities by seismic hazard - the 95th percentile in-state. Moorhead has a population of about 45,726.

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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota.

Earthquake insurance for a Moorhead home

A Moorhead 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 Moorhead's figures come from

Moorhead's Category A 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 A does and doesn't tell you about Moorhead.