Is Clay County, AR in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Clay County's flood hazard at the 40th percentile nationally — below the national norm for flood hazard — driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 1.1 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Clay County's mapped high-risk flood zone (the Special Flood Hazard Area, or SFHA) are legally required to carry an NFIP flood policy. In practice, 7.8% of them do — 104 active policies against 1,329 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Across all residential structures in Clay County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 1.3% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Clay County ranks
Clay County sits at rank 1949 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 2155 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 14,112 people live in Clay County, Arkansas, spread over 639.224 square miles.
Your street may differ from Clay County's average
112 of Clay County's 8,939 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Clay 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.