Is Tallahatchie County, MS in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Tallahatchie County's flood hazard at the 30.3th percentile nationally — 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 once every 2 years. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Tallahatchie 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, 4.9% of them do — 45 active policies against 919 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Across all residential structures in Tallahatchie County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 1.2% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Tallahatchie County against the rest of the country
Tallahatchie County sits at rank 2249 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 2349 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Tallahatchie County, Mississippi covers 645.59 square miles and counts roughly 10,921 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Tallahatchie County
Across all of Tallahatchie County's 4,959 residential structures, 57 carry an NFIP policy today — a county-wide count that still can't tell you one address's own mapped zone.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Tallahatchie 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.