Racine, WI: what USGS's seismic model says

Racine 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 Racine sits at the 22th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Where Racine sits in Wisconsin

USGS's underlying values for Racine: 0.041g peak ground acceleration, 0.084g at short period, 0.051g at 1 second. Within Wisconsin alone, Racine ranks 20 of 157 cities by seismic hazard - the 88th percentile in-state. Racine has a population of about 78,057.

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Racine 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 Racine's figures come from

Racine'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 Racine.