How much flood risk does Lincoln County actually carry?
Lincoln County lands at the 78.7th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Relatively Moderate" territory — a middling flood hazard by national standards — with the hazard driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 2.4 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Lincoln County's flood-insurance compliance gap
Out of 1,946 homes FEMA counts inside Lincoln County's mapped flood zone, 58 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 3% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Lincoln County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.9% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Lincoln County against the rest of the country
Lincoln County sits at rank 701 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1865 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Lincoln County, West Virginia is home to about 19,377 people across 437.093 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Lincoln County
81 of Lincoln County's 9,267 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 Lincoln 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.