White Plains, NY: what USGS's seismic model says

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places White Plains in Seismic Design Category B: Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. That puts White Plains in the 64th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 64% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

How White Plains compares

USGS's underlying values for White Plains: 0.178g peak ground acceleration, 0.289g at short period, 0.061g at 1 second. Within New York alone, White Plains ranks 34 of 170 cities by seismic hazard - the 80th percentile in-state. White Plains has a population of about 62,561.

Retrofit economics for White Plains

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 New York 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 New York.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A White Plains 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 White Plains's figures come from

White Plains'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 White Plains.