This paper summarizes the development of a geographic information system (GIS)‐based regional loss estimation methodology for the United States funded as part of a four‐and‐one‐half year project by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS). The methodology incorporates state‐of‐the‐art approaches for: characterizing earth science hazards, including ground shaking, liquefaction, and landsliding; estimating damage and losses to buildings and lifelines; estimating casualties, shelter requirements and economic losses; and data entry to support loss estimates. The history of the methodology development; the methodology's scope, framework, and limitations; supporting GIS software; potential user applications; and future developments are discussed.