How much flood risk does Buckingham County actually carry?
Buckingham County lands at the 24.8th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Very Low" territory — among the lowest flood hazard in the country — with the hazard driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 1.5 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.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
Out of 46 homes FEMA counts inside Buckingham County's mapped flood zone, 2 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 4.4% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Buckingham County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.1% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
How Buckingham County compares nationally
Buckingham County sits at rank 2409 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1972 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 17,115 people live in Buckingham County, Virginia, spread over 579.623 square miles.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Buckingham County
Across all of Buckingham County's 5,790 residential structures, 4 carry an NFIP policy today — a county-wide count that still can't tell you one address's own mapped zone.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Buckingham County's numbers. The guide to what the Special Flood Hazard Area actually means explains why the mandatory-insurance rule exists and who it applies to.