How much flood risk does Hempstead County actually carry?
Hempstead County lands at the 43.9th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Relatively Low" territory — below the national norm for flood hazard — with the hazard driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 1.3 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 Hempstead 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, 3.4% of them do — 4 active policies against 118 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Across all residential structures in Hempstead 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.
Hempstead County against the rest of the country
Hempstead County sits at rank 1824 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1878 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Hempstead County, Arkansas covers 727.2 square miles and counts roughly 19,105 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Hempstead County
6 of Hempstead County's 9,249 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 Hempstead 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.