Is Winston County, MS in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Winston County's flood hazard at the 22.2th 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 1.1 times a year. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Winston County's flood-insurance compliance gap
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Winston 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, 8.6% of them do — 10 active policies against 116 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Across all residential structures in Winston County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.3% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Winston County ranks
Winston County sits at rank 2486 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1957 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Winston County, Mississippi is home to about 17,418 people across 607.251 square miles of land.
Your street may differ from Winston County's average
FEMA counts 7,496 residential structures in Winston County overall, 21 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 Winston 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.