Is Pulaski County, VA in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Pulaski County's flood hazard at the 65.8th percentile nationally — below the national norm for flood hazard — driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 1.5 times a year. 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
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Pulaski County's mapped high-risk flood zone (the Special Flood Hazard Area, or SFHA) are legally required to carry an NFIP flood policy. In practice, 14.4% of them do — 64 active policies against 444 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Across all residential structures in Pulaski County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.5% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
How Pulaski County compares nationally
Pulaski County sits at rank 1124 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1348 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Pulaski County, Virginia covers 319.84 square miles and counts roughly 33,579 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Pulaski County
FEMA counts 14,940 residential structures in Pulaski County overall, 74 of them carrying some form of NFIP coverage — but a lender or insurer cares about one parcel, not that county total.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Pulaski 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.