Peabody, MA: what USGS's seismic model says

Peabody 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 Peabody sits at the 67th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Peabody by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Peabody: 0.194g peak ground acceleration, 0.315g at short period, 0.071g at 1 second. Within Massachusetts alone, Peabody ranks 7 of 58 cities by seismic hazard - the 89th percentile in-state. Peabody has a population of about 55,418.

What a retrofit costs in Peabody

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 Peabody home

A Peabody 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 Peabody's figures come from

Peabody'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 Peabody.