National Preparedness Overview
| Stat | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 48% | of Americans have a three-day emergency supply of food and water | - FEMA National Household Survey, 2023 |
| 39% | have a household emergency plan that all family members know and have practiced | - FEMA, 2023 |
| 61% | of Americans have no emergency plan at all, the single largest preparedness gap | - FEMA, 2023 |
| 17% | have taken a first aid or CPR course in the past five years | - American Red Cross / FEMA, 2023 |
| ~24 hrs | median household food supply, three times below the FEMA-recommended 72-hour minimum | - FEMA National Household Survey, 2023 |
| 0–48 hrs | of drinking water stored in the median U.S. household, the widest gap between recommendation and reality | - FEMA / CDC, 2023 |
| 1 in 5 | households have never discussed emergency preparedness with family members | - American Red Cross, 2023 |
Emergency Supply Kit Contents & Shortfalls
| FEMA recommends | 1 gallon of water per person per day for at least 3 days; 3-day supply of non-perishable food; flashlight; battery-powered radio; first aid kit; whistle; dust masks; plastic sheeting and duct tape; manual can opener; medications; and copies of important documents | - Ready.gov / FEMA, 2024 |
| Stat | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 67% | of households have a flashlight with working batteries, the most common preparedness item | - FEMA National Household Survey, 2023 |
| 52% | have a battery-powered or hand-crank radio (including NOAA weather radios) | - FEMA, 2023 |
| 44% | have a first aid kit that is fully stocked and not expired | - FEMA, 2023 |
| 34% | have a whistle, pocket knife, or multi-tool in their emergency kit | - FEMA, 2023 |
| 22% | have plastic sheeting and duct tape, items specifically recommended for shelter-in-place emergencies | - FEMA, 2023 |
| 5% | of households have a complete FEMA-recommended emergency kit with every item on the official checklist | - FEMA / University of Colorado Natural Hazards Center, 2023 |
Income, Geography & Demographic Variation
| Stat | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 30% | emergency supply ownership among households earning under $25,000 per year | - FEMA National Household Survey, 2023 |
| 60%+ | supply ownership among households earning $75,000 or more per year | - FEMA, 2023 |
| 2x | higher rate of adequate preparedness in households with homeowners insurance vs. renters | - FEMA, 2023 |
| 55% | preparedness rate in the Western U.S. (earthquake/fire risk) and the Southeast (hurricane risk) | - FEMA Regional Analysis, 2023 |
| 43% | preparedness rate in the Midwest and Northeast, lower despite significant tornado and winter storm risk | - FEMA Regional Analysis, 2023 |
| 33% | of urban households have adequate supplies vs. 48% of suburban and 45% of rural households | - American Red Cross, 2023 |
Households in regions that experience frequent natural disasters, particularly the West (wildfires, earthquakes) and Southeast (hurricanes), are more likely to maintain emergency supplies than areas with less acute risk profiles. However, even in these higher-risk regions, the majority remains insufficiently prepared per FEMA’s recommendations. For a deeper regional comparison, see our Wildfire Statistics 2026 and Hurricane Preparedness Statistics pages.
Medication Supply, Generators & Power
| Stat | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 27% | of Americans on prescription medications have a 2-week emergency supply | - FEMA / CDC, 2023 |
| 20% | of American homes have a backup generator for power outages | - Generac / Statista, 2023 |
| 12% | have a portable power station or solar generator (a rapidly growing segment) | - Consumer Technology Association, 2024 |
| 73% | of Americans on prescription medications do NOT have an emergency supply beyond their regular refill period | - FEMA / CDC, 2023 |
| $7,500+ | average cost for a professionally installed whole-home standby generator, a barrier for most renters and lower-income homeowners | - HomeAdvisor / Angi, 2024 |
| 50% | of generator-related deaths during disasters are from carbon monoxide poisoning due to improper indoor use | - CDC, 2023 |
First Aid, CPR & Survival Training
| Stat | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 17% | have taken a first aid or CPR course in the past 5 years | - American Red Cross / FEMA, 2023 |
| 54% | have ever taken a first aid or CPR course at any point in their life | - American Red Cross, 2023 |
| 29% | of U.S. adults report knowing how to perform hands-only CPR | - American Heart Association, 2023 |
| 65% | drop in first aid/CPR course enrollment from 2020 peaks to 2023 baseline | - American Red Cross / AHA, 2024 |
| 8% | of U.S. households have a family member with current Wilderness First Aid (WFA) or Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification | - NOLS / Outdoor Industry Association, 2023 |
Emergency Kit Market & Industry Trends
| Stat | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| $2.5B | size of the U.S. emergency preparedness kit market (2025 estimate) | - MarketResearch.com / Allied Market Research, 2025 |
| 8% | annual growth rate of the emergency kit market, driven by climate anxiety and pandemic awareness | - Allied Market Research, 2024 |
| $50–300 | typical price range for pre-assembled emergency kits sold by major retailers and specialty vendors | - Consumer survey, 2024 |
| 61% | of emergency kit purchases are made online (Amazon, survival supply sites) vs. in-store | - Statista / Consumer survey, 2024 |
| 37% | of emergency kit buyers say “climate change and extreme weather” was their primary motivator | - National Retail Federation, 2024 |
| 3.5M | Go bags or “bug-out bags” sold in the U.S. in 2024, a 12% increase year-over-year | - Outdoor Industry Association / Amazon sales data, 2025 |
Pandemic Impact & Preparedness Spikes
| Stat | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 400% | spike in search volume for “3-day emergency supply kit” in March 2020 at the onset of COVID-19 | - Google Trends, 2020 |
| 58% | of Americans reported having emergency supplies in April 2020, the highest measured point in FEMA survey history | - FEMA COVID-19 supplements, 2020 |
| 48% | preparedness rate by 2022, a 10-point drop from the pandemic peak back toward pre-pandemic baselines | - FEMA National Household Survey, 2023 |
| 2.3x | more households had emergency supplies in 2023 vs. 2015, but 52% still are not FEMA-ready | - FEMA (2015–2023 panel data), 2023 |
| 28% | of Americans who bought supplies during the pandemic say they have not replenished or rotated them since | - FEMA / Red Cross, 2023 |
For a broader look at how Americans are, and are not, preparing for specific disaster scenarios, read our Hurricane Preparedness Statistics 2026 and Wildfire Statistics 2026 pages.