Dickenson County, VA: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Dickenson County scores at the 37.6th 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 1.5 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
3.8% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Dickenson County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 13 policies against 342 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.3% of all residential structures in Dickenson County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Dickenson County against the rest of the country
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Dickenson County ranks 2027 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 2196 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Dickenson County, Virginia is home to about 13,411 people across 330.442 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Dickenson County
FEMA counts 7,179 residential structures in Dickenson County overall, 19 of them carrying some form of NFIP coverage — but a lender or insurer cares about one parcel, not that county total.
Where Dickenson 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.