Powell County, KY: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Powell County scores at the 51.4th 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 2.5 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 Powell County
Out of 674 homes FEMA counts inside Powell County's mapped flood zone, 87 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 12.9% compliance, short of full coverage. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 2% of all residential structures in Powell County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
How Powell County compares nationally
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Powell County ranks 1595 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 2224 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. About 12,928 people live in Powell County, Kentucky, spread over 178.962 square miles.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Powell County
96 of Powell County's 4,854 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Powell 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.