Kentucky flood insurance and flood history
From FEMA's flood insurance and disaster data · Updated 2026-10-08
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data lists 27,947 flood insurance claims in Kentucky since 1978. The NFIP paid $527.8 million on them (building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments, in the dollars of the year paid).
The year with the most claims was 1997, with 4,087, mostly from Flooding.
In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 5,289 claims, and the average paid claim was $46,371.
23% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 0.8% of homes in Kentucky had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (14,136 of 1,733,651 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 19% (11,580 of 60,469).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 44 flood-related disaster declarations covering parts of Kentucky. The most recent was DR-4937-KY (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides), declared September 1, 2026.
Flood insurance claims in Kentucky by year
Show as a table
| Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 106 | $2.2 million |
| 2025 | 2,171 | $112.6 million |
| 2024 | 52 | $1.2 million |
| 2023 | 109 | $2.6 million |
| 2022 | 617 | $29.3 million |
| 2021 | 749 | $24.0 million |
| 2020 | 197 | $3.9 million |
| 2019 | 264 | $5.2 million |
| 2018 | 892 | $29.4 million |
| 2017 | 132 | $2.6 million |
| 2016 | 142 | $1.8 million |
| 2015 | 1,274 | $26.0 million |
| 2014 | 154 | $2.4 million |
| 2013 | 349 | $7.1 million |
| 2012 | 82 | $1.1 million |
| 2011 | 1,007 | $19.0 million |
| 2010 | 1,281 | $39.0 million |
| 2009 | 909 | $17.4 million |
| 2008 | 318 | $2.8 million |
| 2007 | 141 | $1.1 million |
| 2006 | 552 | $10.1 million |
| 2005 | 384 | $11.5 million |
| 2004 | 601 | $9.1 million |
| 2003 | 885 | $9.0 million |
| 2002 | 609 | $6.8 million |
| 2001 | 146 | $1.3 million |
| 2000 | 263 | $2.0 million |
| 1999 | 61 | $304,010 |
| 1998 | 463 | $3.9 million |
| 1997 | 4,087 | $79.8 million |
| 1996 | 476 | $4.3 million |
| 1995 | 147 | $677,546 |
| 1994 | 333 | $1.6 million |
| 1993 | 82 | $611,730 |
| 1992 | 120 | $610,877 |
| 1991 | 363 | $1.5 million |
| 1990 | 328 | $1.8 million |
| 1989 | 1,436 | $10.2 million |
| 1988 | 49 | $200,648 |
| 1987 | 48 | $144,830 |
| 1986 | 22 | $110,178 |
| 1985 | 58 | $191,355 |
| 1984 | 2,838 | $28.8 million |
| 1983 | 260 | $666,925 |
| 1982 | 129 | $356,739 |
| 1981 | 377 | $1.4 million |
| 1980 | 118 | $383,028 |
| 1979 | 672 | $2.1 million |
| 1978 | 1,094 | $7.7 million |
Biggest flood events by NFIP payments
The flood events FEMA's claims data names most often for Kentucky, ranked by what the NFIP paid. FEMA names events in its claims records; claims without an event name aren't included here.
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flooding | 1997 | 3,994 | $79.3 million |
| Central U.S. April Flooding | 2025 | 1,100 | $70.2 million |
| February Kentucky Flooding | 2025 | 978 | $40.0 million |
| Flooding | 1984 | 2,752 | $28.5 million |
| Late July Flooding | 2022 | 458 | $25.0 million |
| Mid-spring storms | 2011 | 644 | $13.5 million |
| Storm | 2009 | 436 | $12.7 million |
| Flooding | 1989 | 1,119 | $9.2 million |
| Not a named storm | 1978 | 912 | $7.2 million |
| Heavy rains | 2004 | 328 | $6.3 million |
What flood insurance costs in Kentucky
On June 30, 2026, 17,027 NFIP flood insurance policies were in force in Kentucky. For the 11,195 single-family homes among them, the typical (median) yearly cost was about $1,190; the average was $1,460.
| Rated flood zone | Policies | Typical yearly cost, single-family home | Average cost | Average building coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-risk zones (A and V) | 13,875 | $1,260 | $1,560 | $146,000 |
| Moderate- and low-risk zones (B, C and X) | 3,152 | $990 | $1,030 | $191,000 |
Cost here is what FEMA's data lists as the policy cost: the premium plus the reserve fund assessment, federal policy fee and HFIAA surcharge. It covers single-family homes only (not condos, apartments or businesses), with costs rounded to the nearest $10 and shown only where at least 20 homes back the figure. Your own price depends on your building and the coverage you choose; see how flood insurance is priced. Private flood insurance isn't included.
Policies and average cost by exact flood zone
Flood history by county
Every Kentucky county in FEMA's data, sorted by number of NFIP claims since 1978. "Insured" is the share of homes with an NFIP policy; "typical NFIP cost" is the median yearly cost for single-family homes.
| County | Claims | Paid | Insured | Typical NFIP cost | Flood declarations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County | 5,557 | $98.8 million | 1.2% | $1,140 | 12 |
| Floyd County | 2,618 | $37.3 million | 3.4% | $1,340 | 26 |
| Pike County | 2,480 | $56.2 million | 3.5% | $1,290 | 23 |
| Franklin County | 1,518 | $32.0 million | 1.4% | $1,840 | 14 |
| Oldham County | 1,083 | $27.6 million | 1.1% | $1,790 | 7 |
| Christian County | 978 | $21.4 million | 1.3% | $1,110 | 12 |
| Greenup County | 713 | $10.8 million | 2.1% | $1,090 | 18 |
| Perry County | 594 | $10.0 million | 1.9% | $1,740 | 25 |
| Bell County | 566 | $7.4 million | 1.7% | $1,310 | 13 |
| Woodford County | 509 | $17.0 million | 1.1% | $1,710 | 14 |
| Hardin County | 478 | $9.9 million | 0.8% | $1,090 | 13 |
| Boyd County | 462 | $7.1 million | 0.9% | $1,260 | 19 |
| Martin County | 462 | $6.6 million | 4.9% | $1,360 | 19 |
| Fayette County | 457 | $5.4 million | 0.4% | $960 | 8 |
| Campbell County | 450 | $5.8 million | 1.2% | $960 | 8 |
| Carter County | 449 | $9.0 million | 1.3% | $1,210 | 23 |
| Harlan County | 443 | $2.4 million | 2.4% | $1,240 | 16 |
| Bourbon County | 395 | $6.5 million | 0.9% | $1,410 | 12 |
| Henderson County | 380 | $6.3 million | 1.4% | $1,110 | 16 |
| Bullitt County | 379 | $6.7 million | 1.8% | $1,110 | 14 |
| Daviess County | 327 | $3.6 million | 1.7% | $890 | 11 |
| Johnson County | 309 | $5.2 million | 2.3% | $1,560 | 27 |
| McCracken County | 307 | $8.6 million | 0.7% | $1,110 | 10 |
| Rowan County | 293 | $5.2 million | 1.9% | $1,140 | 18 |
| Clark County | 288 | $6.1 million | 0.7% | $1,290 | 12 |
| Kenton County | 286 | $2.7 million | 0.3% | $1,160 | 7 |
| Magoffin County | 260 | $2.8 million | 1.6% | $1,260 | 26 |
| Breathitt County | 207 | $7.6 million | 1.5% | $1,710 | 25 |
| Knott County | 205 | $6.6 million | 1.1% | $1,540 | 26 |
| Letcher County | 188 | $7.7 million | 1.4% | $1,390 | 20 |
| Mercer County | 187 | $5.0 million | 0.7% | $1,390 | 10 |
| Pendleton County | 180 | $5.3 million | 1.9% | $1,410 | 11 |
| Jessamine County | 179 | $4.4 million | 0.5% | $1,010 | 12 |
| Harrison County | 141 | $3.5 million | 1.4% | $1,340 | 11 |
| Madison County | 138 | $3.5 million | 0.7% | $1,310 | 14 |
| McLean County | 134 | $2.0 million | 2.9% | $1,460 | 13 |
| Powell County | 125 | $1.8 million | 2.0% | $1,310 | 21 |
| Warren County | 124 | $2.4 million | 0.3% | $1,140 | 11 |
| Nelson County | 122 | $3.4 million | 0.3% | $1,060 | 10 |
| Knox County | 120 | $892,071 | 0.8% | $1,340 | 17 |
| Lewis County | 116 | $2.0 million | 0.9% | $1,590 | 22 |
| Bracken County | 113 | $2.0 million | 1.1% | $2,440 | 9 |
| Bath County | 100 | $1.4 million | 0.7% | $940 | 14 |
| Graves County | 80 | $1.4 million | 0.3% | $1,210 | 11 |
| Scott County | 79 | $1.9 million | 0.6% | $1,340 | 6 |
| Montgomery County | 75 | $1.9 million | 0.2% | $1,590 | 10 |
| Hopkins County | 73 | $1.2 million | 0.4% | $1,110 | 16 |
| Owen County | 73 | $1.4 million | 1.0% | $1,490 | 12 |
| Carroll County | 70 | $1.6 million | 1.7% | $1,190 | 11 |
| Marshall County | 68 | $1.2 million | 0.6% | $860 | 16 |
| Clay County | 66 | $697,080 | 0.7% | $1,560 | 27 |
| Anderson County | 59 | $1.4 million | 0.4% | $1,110 | 14 |
| Spencer County | 56 | $857,644 | 0.5% | $1,290 | 20 |
| Leslie County | 54 | $362,464 | 0.8% | $1,640 | 19 |
| Fleming County | 49 | $942,857 | 0.2% | n/a | 14 |
| Morgan County | 49 | $1.1 million | 0.4% | n/a | 20 |
| Nicholas County | 48 | $1.9 million | 0.4% | n/a | 19 |
| Ballard County | 45 | $585,015 | 0.4% | n/a | 15 |
| Trimble County | 43 | $700,043 | 0.7% | $1,110 | 11 |
| Estill County | 42 | $1.1 million | 0.7% | $1,410 | 23 |
| Boone County | 39 | $372,121 | 0.1% | $710 | 4 |
| Logan County | 35 | $499,483 | 0.4% | $1,140 | 9 |
| Butler County | 34 | $606,707 | 0.3% | n/a | 18 |
| Gallatin County | 33 | $458,026 | 1.7% | $1,440 | 9 |
| Lee County | 33 | $1.3 million | 0.6% | n/a | 24 |
| Henry County | 32 | $574,523 | 0.5% | n/a | 12 |
| Lawrence County | 32 | $467,707 | 0.4% | $1,290 | 28 |
| Washington County | 32 | $945,247 | 0.2% | n/a | 17 |
| Shelby County | 31 | $368,537 | 0.2% | $1,410 | 10 |
| Whitley County | 30 | $212,491 | 0.3% | $1,140 | 18 |
| Pulaski County | 29 | $817,710 | 0.0% | n/a | 9 |
| Calloway County | 28 | $1.1 million | 0.4% | $910 | 10 |
| Breckinridge County | 27 | $325,192 | 0.2% | n/a | 16 |
| Lincoln County | 27 | $377,075 | 0.1% | n/a | 13 |
| Jackson County | 26 | $362,207 | 0.2% | n/a | 18 |
| Fulton County | 25 | $591,013 | 0.4% | n/a | 12 |
| Casey County | 24 | $3.0 million | 0.1% | n/a | 14 |
| Livingston County | 24 | $497,443 | 1.1% | $840 | 16 |
| Simpson County | 24 | $915,352 | 0.4% | $910 | 8 |
| Garrard County | 23 | $948,057 | 0.3% | n/a | 9 |
| Barren County | 21 | $192,568 | 0.1% | $1,490 | 10 |
| Larue County | 21 | $201,813 | 0.2% | n/a | 12 |
| Rockcastle County | 19 | $615,778 | 0.2% | n/a | 18 |
| Meade County | 18 | $802,537 | 0.2% | n/a | 13 |
| Menifee County | 17 | $1.0 million | 0.8% | n/a | 19 |
| Mason County | 16 | $178,369 | 0.1% | n/a | 13 |
| Union County | 16 | $358,061 | 0.2% | n/a | 18 |
| Boyle County | 15 | $168,645 | 0.8% | $1,390 | 9 |
| Crittenden County | 15 | $369,461 | 0.2% | n/a | 18 |
| Muhlenberg County | 15 | $328,733 | 0.2% | n/a | 9 |
| Ohio County | 15 | $179,684 | 0.2% | n/a | 19 |
| Hickman County | 13 | $6,152 | 0.1% | n/a | 15 |
| Laurel County | 12 | $1.1 million | 0.1% | $1,040 | 11 |
| Allen County | 11 | $596,723 | 0.2% | n/a | 9 |
| Caldwell County | 11 | $252,864 | 0.3% | n/a | 16 |
| Hancock County | 11 | $52,668 | 1.3% | $1,090 | 16 |
| Hart County | 11 | $222,284 | 0.2% | n/a | 14 |
| Todd County | 11 | $139,670 | 0.4% | $1,160 | 9 |
| Marion County | 10 | $136,282 | 0.2% | $1,190 | 11 |
| Webster County | 9 | $248,059 | 0.9% | $1,010 | 14 |
| Taylor County | 8 | $322,173 | 0.2% | $910 | 11 |
| Metcalfe County | 7 | $17,370 | 0.2% | n/a | 18 |
| Grayson County | 6 | $155,835 | 0.1% | n/a | 17 |
| Owsley County | 6 | $64,961 | 0.3% | n/a | 27 |
| Cumberland County | 4 | $165,869 | 0.0% | n/a | 12 |
| Carlisle County | 3 | $15,328 | 0.3% | n/a | 14 |
| Grant County | 3 | $4,500 | 0.1% | n/a | 10 |
| Green County | 3 | $205,082 | 0.1% | n/a | 13 |
| Russell County | 3 | $103,712 | 0.1% | n/a | 10 |
| Elliott County | 2 | $10,004 | 0.2% | n/a | 21 |
| Monroe County | 2 | $1,872 | 0.1% | n/a | 10 |
| Adair County | 1 | $37,186 | 0.2% | n/a | 11 |
| Clinton County | 1 | $134,335 | 0.1% | n/a | 7 |
| Edmonson County | 1 | $436 | 0.1% | n/a | 15 |
| McCreary County | 1 | $1,569 | 0.0% | n/a | 9 |
| Trigg County | 1 | $0 | 0.1% | n/a | 14 |
| Wayne County | 1 | $3,107 | 0.1% | n/a | 11 |
| Wolfe County | 1 | $0 | 0.0% | n/a | 21 |
| Lyon County | 0 | $0 | 0.0% | n/a | 12 |
| Robertson County | 0 | $0 | 0.1% | n/a | 14 |
Flood-related FEMA disaster declarations in Kentucky
Declarations since 2000 that FEMA lists as involving flooding. "Help for individuals" means FEMA's Individual Assistance was approved for at least part of the area.
| Declaration | Declared | Event | Help for individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4937-KY | Sep 1, 2026 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4875-KY | May 23, 2025 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | Yes |
| DR-4864-KY | Apr 24, 2025 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| EM-3626-KY | Apr 3, 2025 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | No |
| DR-4860-KY | Feb 24, 2025 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| EM-3624-KY | Feb 16, 2025 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides | No |
| DR-4848-KY | Nov 26, 2024 | Remnants of Hurricane Helene | No |
| DR-4711-KY | May 9, 2023 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4702-KY | Apr 10, 2023 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4663-KY | Jul 29, 2022 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| DR-4643-KY | Feb 27, 2022 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides | No |
| DR-4630-KY | Dec 12, 2021 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Tornadoes | Yes |
| EM-3575-KY | Dec 11, 2021 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Tornadoes | No |
| DR-4595-KY | Apr 23, 2021 | Severe, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| DR-4540-KY | Apr 24, 2020 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4428-KY | Apr 17, 2019 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4361-KY | Apr 26, 2018 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4358-KY | Apr 12, 2018 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4278-KY | Aug 26, 2016 | Severe Storm, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4239-KY | Aug 12, 2015 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslide | Yes |
| DR-4218-KY | May 12, 2015 | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4217-KY | May 1, 2015 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| DR-4216-KY | Apr 30, 2015 | Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4196-KY | Sep 30, 2014 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4057-KY | Mar 6, 2012 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding | Yes |
Showing the 25 most recent of 44.
What to do with this
A county's history doesn't tell you your own building's risk. To see your property's flood zone, use FEMA's flood map lookup. To weigh coverage, start with do I need flood insurance? and what flood insurance costs.
Where these numbers come from
All figures on this page are calculated from FEMA's public OpenFEMA datasets:
- NFIP Redacted Claims (v3) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP claims since 1978, downloaded 2026-10-08. Dollar amounts are what the NFIP paid, not adjusted for inflation. Claims filed under private flood insurance aren't included.
- NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (v1) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP residential policy contracts in force (as of August 3, 2026) divided by FEMA's count of residential buildings from the National Structure Inventory. FEMA notes that inventory is incomplete in some counties, which can inflate the rate. Private flood policies aren't counted.
- NFIP Redacted Policies (v3) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP policies in force on June 30, 2026 (a policy counts if its term covers that date and it wasn't cancelled), downloaded 2026-10-08. Policy counts are FEMA's insured units, so a condominium association policy counts each unit. Costs are FEMA's "policy cost" (premium plus reserve fund assessment, federal policy fee and HFIAA surcharge) for single-family homes only. Policies FEMA's data doesn't place in a county count toward the state only.
- Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): disaster declarations, downloaded 2026-10-08. We count a declaration as flood-related when FEMA lists flooding (or a dam or levee break) as its incident type or a designated incident type, or the declaration's title mentions flooding.
FEMA's redacted claims data doesn't identify properties, and FEMA notes that some records lack a county or flood zone. See how we use the data.