Clay County, KY: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Clay County scores at the 81th 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 1.8 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Clay County's flood-insurance compliance gap
5.4% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Clay County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 49 policies against 910 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.7% of all residential structures in Clay County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Where Clay County ranks
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Clay County ranks 625 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 1851 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Clay County, Kentucky covers 469.296 square miles and counts roughly 19,592 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Clay County
FEMA counts 7,843 residential structures in Clay County overall, 53 of them carrying some form of NFIP coverage — but a lender or insurer cares about one parcel, not that county total.
Where Clay 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.