Bourbon County, KY: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Bourbon County scores at the 53.8th percentile for flood hazard, rated "Relatively Low" — below the national norm for flood hazard. 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 2.6 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Bourbon County's flood-insurance compliance gap
25.8% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Bourbon County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 62 policies against 240 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.9% of all residential structures in Bourbon County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
How Bourbon County compares nationally
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Bourbon County ranks 1515 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 1807 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Bourbon County, Kentucky covers 289.75 square miles and counts roughly 20,333 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Bourbon County
FEMA counts 9,226 residential structures in Bourbon County overall, 81 of them carrying some form of NFIP coverage — but a lender or insurer cares about one parcel, not that county total.
Where Bourbon 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.