Rawlins's Seismic Design Category, explained

Rawlins carries Seismic Design Category C under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. Moderate seismic hazard. Code adds irregular-building restrictions and requires bracing of some nonstructural components (e.g. tall shelving, water heaters) in addition to structural detailing. Rank it against the rest of the country and Rawlins sits at the 78th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Rawlins by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Rawlins: 0.215g peak ground acceleration, 0.352g at short period, 0.079g at 1 second. Within Wyoming alone, Rawlins ranks 4 of 16 cities by seismic hazard - the 80th percentile in-state. Rawlins has a population of about 7,952.

Retrofit economics for Rawlins

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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming.

Earthquake insurance for a Rawlins home

A Rawlins 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 Rawlins's figures come from

Rawlins's Category C 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 C does and doesn't tell you about Rawlins.