Is Holmes County, MS in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Holmes County's flood hazard at the 32.3th percentile nationally — among the lowest flood hazard in the country — driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about once every 1 years. That's a county-wide figure, not a per-address one — FEMA's parcel maps are a live lookup, not a bulk file.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
4.8% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Holmes County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 19 policies against 399 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Holmes County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.4% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Holmes County against the rest of the country
Holmes County sits at rank 2190 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 2064 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 15,560 people live in Holmes County, Mississippi, spread over 756.674 square miles.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Holmes County
Across all of Holmes County's 6,697 residential structures, 26 carry an NFIP policy today — a county-wide count that still can't tell you one address's own mapped zone.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Holmes 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.