Lafayette County, MS: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Lafayette County scores at the 47.8th 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 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 Lafayette County
13.3% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Lafayette County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 71 policies against 535 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 Lafayette County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Where Lafayette County ranks
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Lafayette County ranks 1703 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 893 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. About 59,843 people live in Lafayette County, Mississippi, spread over 631.697 square miles.
Your street may differ from Lafayette County's average
160 of Lafayette County's 21,758 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Lafayette 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.