West Salem, WI: what USGS's seismic model says

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, West Salem is Category A. Lowest seismic design category. Building code requires no seismic-specific detailing here beyond ordinary construction practice. Rank it against the rest of the country and West Salem sits at the 7th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

West Salem by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for West Salem: 0.025g peak ground acceleration, 0.051g at short period, 0.039g at 1 second. Within Wisconsin alone, West Salem ranks 122 of 157 cities by seismic hazard - the 22th percentile in-state. West Salem has a population of about 5,306.

Retrofit economics for West Salem

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.

What this means for insurance

A West Salem 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 West Salem's figures come from

West Salem'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 West Salem.