Smith County, TN flood risk explained
Flood hazard in Smith County sits at the 31.6th national percentile, among the lowest flood hazard in the country; driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 1.1 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 Smith County
20.4% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Smith County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 80 policies against 392 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 1.1% of all residential structures in Smith County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Where Smith County ranks
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Smith County ranks 2207 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 1780 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Smith County, Tennessee covers 314.278 square miles and counts roughly 20,783 residents.
Checking a specific address in Smith County
FEMA counts 8,806 residential structures in Smith County overall, 96 of them carrying some form of NFIP coverage — but a lender or insurer cares about one parcel, not that county total.
Where Smith 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.