How much flood risk does Pendleton County actually carry?
Pendleton County lands at the 58.5th 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 1.2 times a year. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in Pendleton County
6.5% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Pendleton County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 32 policies against 492 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Pendleton County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 1% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Pendleton County against the rest of the country
Pendleton County sits at rank 1366 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 2736 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Pendleton County, West Virginia is home to about 5,944 people across 696.05 square miles of land.
Checking a specific address in Pendleton County
46 of Pendleton County's 4,704 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 Pendleton 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.