Bell County, KY: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Bell County scores at the 82th percentile for flood hazard, rated "Relatively Moderate" — a middling flood hazard by national standards. The hazard here is driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 2.3 times a year. That's a county-wide figure, not a per-address one — FEMA's parcel maps are a live lookup, not a bulk file.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in Bell County
Out of 1,349 homes FEMA counts inside Bell County's mapped flood zone, 147 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 10.9% compliance, short of full coverage. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 1.7% of all residential structures in Bell County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Bell County against the rest of the country
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Bell County ranks 593 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 1681 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. About 23,051 people live in Bell County, Kentucky, spread over 358.999 square miles.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Bell County
171 of Bell County's 10,314 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Bell County's figures come from
Every figure on this page traces to a named FEMA dataset, documented in the methodology guide. If you're unsure why any of this insurance requirement exists at all, the SFHA explainer covers it from first principles.