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Mississippi natural disaster risk

Ratings for all 82 counties, the federal disaster record and flood insurance across the state.

76major disasters since 1953 (8th most)

$1.6Bexpected losses a year

4%of homes with flood insurance

Photo: U.S. Geological Survey, public domain

Mississippi has had 76 major federal disaster declarations for natural events since 1953. FEMA expects about $1.6 billion a year in losses from natural hazards across the state. Inland flooding is the costliest hazard in 54 of its 82 counties, followed by hurricane in 10. None is rated Very High overall. About 4% of homes carry federal flood insurance, and the program has paid $3.1 billion on 62,876 claims here since 1978.

Very High0counties

High1counties

Moderate11counties

Low39counties

Highest overall risk

1Harrison CountyHigh

2Hinds CountyModerate

3Jackson CountyModerate

4DeSoto CountyModerate

5Lauderdale CountyModerate

Lowest risk (50,000+ people)

1Oktibbeha CountyLow

2Lafayette CountyLow

3Lamar CountyLow

4Forrest CountyLow

5Jones CountyLow

Top hazards

Inland floodingtop risk in 54 counties

Hurricanetop risk in 10 counties

Tornadotop risk in 8 counties

Recent federal declarations

All states ›

Aug 3, 2026Tropical Storm ArthurMajor disaster

Largest counties

Hinds County

227,510 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Harrison County

208,275 people

High Hurricane

DeSoto County

185,280 people

Moderate Earthquake

Rankin County

153,271 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Jackson County

143,149 people

Moderate Hurricane

Madison County

108,943 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Lee County

83,269 people

Moderate Inland flooding

Forrest County

78,050 people

Low Inland flooding

Lauderdale County

72,842 people

Moderate Cold wave

Jones County

67,168 people

Low Inland flooding

Lamar County

64,179 people

Low Inland flooding

Lowndes County

58,845 people

Low Inland flooding

Cities in Mississippi

All 16 cities ›

Jackson146,631 Gulfport73,003 Southaven56,226 Biloxi48,861 Hattiesburg48,619 Olive Branch47,019 Tupelo37,791 Meridian34,137 Greenville28,166 Madison27,946 Pearl27,737 Clinton27,195 Horn Lake26,647 Oxford26,411 Starkville25,721

All 82 counties

Name	People	Overall risk	Top hazard	Declarations	Homes insured
Adams County	29,474	Low	Inland flooding	25	0.3%
Alcorn County	34,684	Low	Inland flooding	16	0.4%
Amite County	12,711	Low	Inland flooding	27	0%
Attala County	17,868	Very Low	Inland flooding	21	0.2%
Benton County	7,620	Very Low	Inland flooding	15	0.1%
Bolivar County	30,953	Low	Inland flooding	22	2.5%
Calhoun County	13,242	Very Low	Inland flooding	20	0.5%
Carroll County	9,971	Very Low	Inland flooding	22	0.3%
Chickasaw County	17,023	Low	Inland flooding	21	0.1%
Choctaw County	8,245	Very Low	Inland flooding	18	0.4%
Claiborne County	9,127	Very Low	Inland flooding	27	0.5%
Clarke County	15,570	Very Low	Inland flooding	23	1.1%
Clay County	18,616	Very Low	Inland flooding	25	1.6%
Coahoma County	21,300	Low	Inland flooding	21	1.2%
Copiah County	28,350	Low	Tornado	26	0.3%
Covington County	18,330	Low	Hurricane	31	0.7%
DeSoto County	185,280	Moderate	Earthquake	14	0.8%
Forrest County	78,050	Low	Inland flooding	30	1.8%
Franklin County	7,653	Very Low	Inland flooding	23	0.1%
George County	24,246	Low	Hurricane	32	0.8%
Greene County	13,480	Very Low	Hurricane	31	0.4%
Grenada County	21,585	Low	Inland flooding	25	1.7%
Hancock County	46,025	Moderate	Hurricane	31	33.1%
Harrison County	208,275	High	Hurricane	35	14.4%
Hinds County	227,510	Moderate	Inland flooding	24	2.8%
Holmes County	16,992	Low	Tornado	28	0.4%
Humphreys County	7,693	Very Low	Inland flooding	23	3.1%
Issaquena County	1,338	Very Low	Inland flooding	25	10.5%
Itawamba County	23,822	Low	Cold wave	24	0.2%
Jackson County	143,149	Moderate	Hurricane	34	18.6%
Jasper County	16,343	Very Low	Inland flooding	25	0.3%
Jefferson County	7,245	Very Low	Inland flooding	24	0.1%
Jefferson Davis County	11,298	Very Low	Inland flooding	31	0.1%
Jones County	67,168	Low	Inland flooding	31	0.8%
Kemper County	8,934	Very Low	Tornado	19	0.1%
Lafayette County	55,742	Low	Inland flooding	19	0.7%
Lamar County	64,179	Low	Inland flooding	25	1.2%
Lauderdale County	72,842	Moderate	Cold wave	22	1.1%
Lawrence County	12,013	Very Low	Inland flooding	31	0.7%
Leake County	21,242	Low	Inland flooding	25	0.4%
Lee County	83,269	Moderate	Inland flooding	20	0.8%
Leflore County	28,282	Low	Inland flooding	23	5.1%
Lincoln County	34,886	Low	Inland flooding	30	0.2%
Lowndes County	58,845	Low	Inland flooding	21	2.5%
Madison County	108,943	Moderate	Inland flooding	24	1.9%
Marion County	24,425	Low	Hurricane	35	1.3%
Marshall County	33,484	Low	Inland flooding	16	0.1%
Monroe County	34,055	Low	Cold wave	24	2.1%
Montgomery County	9,775	Very Low	Inland flooding	19	0.2%
Neshoba County	29,025	Low	Tornado	23	0.3%
Newton County	21,246	Low	Tornado	22	0.1%
Noxubee County	10,285	Very Low	Inland flooding	19	0.2%
Oktibbeha County	51,639	Low	Inland flooding	17	1.7%
Panola County	33,149	Low	Tornado	24	0.7%
Pearl River County	56,090	Moderate	Hurricane	35	2.6%
Perry County	11,482	Very Low	Inland flooding	31	0.6%
Pike County	40,285	Low	Inland flooding	32	0.4%
Pontotoc County	31,149	Low	Inland flooding	18	0.1%
Prentiss County	24,995	Low	Inland flooding	20	0.1%
Quitman County	6,166	Very Low	Inland flooding	20	3.1%
Rankin County	153,271	Moderate	Inland flooding	22	2.3%
Scott County	27,923	Low	Inland flooding	20	0.5%
Sharkey County	3,773	Very Low	Drought	24	6%
Simpson County	25,913	Low	Inland flooding	28	0.6%
Smith County	14,181	Low	Inland flooding	23	0.1%
Stone County	18,312	Low	Hurricane	29	0.4%
Sunflower County	25,919	Low	Cold wave	20	1.4%
Tallahatchie County	12,658	Very Low	Inland flooding	25	1.1%
Tate County	28,022	Very Low	Earthquake	15	0.4%
Tippah County	21,783	Low	Tornado	18	0.1%
Tishomingo County	18,813	Very Low	Inland flooding	17	0.2%
Tunica County	9,775	Very Low	Earthquake	16	2.4%
Union County	27,724	Low	Inland flooding	17	0.1%
Walthall County	13,882	Very Low	Inland flooding	27	0.6%
Warren County	44,654	Moderate	Drought	31	1.7%
Washington County	44,765	Moderate	Inland flooding	28	6.5%
Wayne County	19,732	Low	Hurricane	30	0.3%
Webster County	9,913	Very Low	Inland flooding	20	0.1%
Wilkinson County	8,585	Very Low	Inland flooding	30	1%
Winston County	17,714	Very Low	Tornado	16	0.3%
Yalobusha County	12,460	Very Low	Inland flooding	18	0.2%
Yazoo County	26,703	Low	Cold wave	29	2.9%

Linked names have a full page. Overall risk from the FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); declarations are federal disaster and emergency declarations for natural events since 1953 (OpenFEMA); homes insured is the share with NFIP flood policies.