Contrary to popular belief, climate is not a good gauge for mould risk, according to a ranking of states at risk for mould contamination on commercial and residential property. Areas with dry climates like Nevada and Arizona made it into American Risk Management Resources' top 10 listing of mould risk areas, while some Gulf States did not come close.

Because mould damage is now excluded or severely limited on standard property insurance, concerns about the financial impact of a mould outbreak in a home or business continue to rise.

In the relative hazard ranking model developed by ARMR, and now being used by Greenguard Environmental Institute (GEI), "dry states" (Oklahoma, Kansas) intermingle with predictably high-risk mould zones (Florida, South Carolina), but the state of Texas beat them all.

The top 10 states and their Relative Hazard Mould Ranking are:

Texas 2.95
Florida 2.50
Oklahoma 2.45
South Carolina 1.91
Nevada 1.90
Arizona 1.90
California 1.73
South Dakota 1.47
Tennessee 1.33
Kansas 1.25

The bottom dive states and their Relative Hazard Mould Ranking are:

Wisconsin .06
West Virginia .07
Alabama .13
Massachusetts .18
Minnesota .19