Smith County, TX: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Smith County scores at the 84.9th percentile for flood hazard, rated "Relatively Moderate" — a middling flood hazard by national standards. 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 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
Out of 695 homes FEMA counts inside Smith County's mapped flood zone, 225 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 32.4% compliance, short of full coverage. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.6% 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.
How Smith County compares nationally
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Smith County ranks 496 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 295 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Smith County, Texas is home to about 249,091 people across 921.495 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Smith County
FEMA counts 79,634 residential structures in Smith County overall, 458 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.