Hickman County, KY: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Hickman County scores at the 8.6th percentile for flood hazard, rated "Very Low" — among the lowest flood hazard in the country. 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 2.3 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in Hickman County
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Hickman 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, 5.4% of them do — 3 active policies against 56 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.1% of all residential structures in Hickman County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Hickman County against the rest of the country
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Hickman County ranks 2889 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 2862 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Hickman County, Kentucky covers 242.331 square miles and counts roughly 4,393 residents.
Your street may differ from Hickman County's average
3 of Hickman County's 2,334 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Hickman 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.