Kentucky drought risk
120 counties scored 0 rated Very High
Ballard County has the highest drought risk in Kentucky, scoring 96.4 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ballard County | 96.4 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 2 | Graves County | 89 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 3 | Fulton County | 84 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 4 | Hickman County | 83.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 5 | Union County | 83 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 6 | Christian County | 79 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 7 | Trigg County | 76.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 8 | Caldwell County | 71.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 9 | Henderson County | 71.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 10 | Daviess County | 71.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 11 | Carlisle County | 70.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 12 | McLean County | 70.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 13 | Hopkins County | 70.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 14 | McCracken County | 70.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 15 | Webster County | 69.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 16 | Lyon County | 69.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 17 | Muhlenberg County | 69.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 18 | Livingston County | 68.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 19 | Crittenden County | 67.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 20 | Calloway County | 66 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 21 | Marshall County | 65.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 22 | Todd County | 65.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 23 | Logan County | 58.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 24 | Barren County | 48.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 25 | Ohio County | 46.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 26 | Simpson County | 45.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 27 | Allen County | 43.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 28 | Warren County | 43.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 29 | Monroe County | 40.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 30 | Metcalfe County | 39.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 31 | Green County | 38.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 32 | Pulaski County | 38.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 33 | Adair County | 38.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 34 | Breckinridge County | 37.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 35 | Casey County | 34.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 36 | Hart County | 33.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 37 | Russell County | 33 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 38 | Garrard County | 32.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 39 | Nelson County | 32 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 40 | Taylor County | 32 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 41 | Shelby County | 31.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 42 | Butler County | 31.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 43 | Hancock County | 31.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 44 | Meade County | 31.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 45 | Lincoln County | 30.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 46 | Wayne County | 30.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 47 | Hardin County | 30.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 48 | Bourbon County | 30 | Very Low | 0 |
| 49 | Marion County | 29.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 50 | Clay County | 29.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 51 | Larue County | 29.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 52 | Fleming County | 29.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 53 | Grayson County | 29 | Very Low | 0 |
| 54 | Laurel County | 28.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 55 | Mercer County | 28 | Very Low | 0 |
| 56 | Cumberland County | 26.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 57 | Mason County | 26.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 58 | Edmonson County | 26.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 59 | Trimble County | 25.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 60 | Nicholas County | 25.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 61 | Harrison County | 24.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 62 | Lewis County | 23.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 63 | Clinton County | 23.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 64 | Whitley County | 23.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 65 | Washington County | 23.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 66 | Oldham County | 22.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 67 | Rockcastle County | 22.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 68 | Clark County | 22.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 69 | Henry County | 22.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 70 | Scott County | 22.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 71 | Fayette County | 22 | Very Low | 0 |
| 72 | Bath County | 21.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 73 | Owen County | 21.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 74 | Woodford County | 21.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 75 | Jefferson County | 21.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 76 | Montgomery County | 21.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 77 | Madison County | 20.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 78 | Spencer County | 20.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 79 | Knox County | 20.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 80 | Gallatin County | 19.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 81 | Boyle County | 19.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 82 | Pike County | 19.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 83 | Elliott County | 19.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 84 | Magoffin County | 19.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 85 | Owsley County | 19.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 86 | Franklin County | 19.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 87 | Boone County | 18.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 88 | Powell County | 18.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 89 | Carroll County | 18.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 90 | Pendleton County | 18.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 91 | Bracken County | 18.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 92 | Anderson County | 17.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 93 | Grant County | 17.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 94 | Bell County | 17.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 95 | Jessamine County | 17.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 96 | Bullitt County | 17.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 97 | Estill County | 17.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 98 | Rowan County | 17.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 99 | McCreary County | 16.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 100 | Campbell County | 16.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 101 | Carter County | 15.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 102 | Kenton County | 15.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 103 | Robertson County | 15.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 104 | Lawrence County | 15.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 105 | Menifee County | 15.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 106 | Greenup County | 15 | Very Low | 0 |
| 107 | Lee County | 14.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 108 | Boyd County | 14.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 109 | Breathitt County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 110 | Floyd County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 111 | Harlan County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 112 | Jackson County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 113 | Johnson County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 114 | Knott County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 115 | Leslie County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 116 | Letcher County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 117 | Martin County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 118 | Morgan County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 119 | Perry County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 120 | Wolfe County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Drought risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Kentucky:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest drought risk county in Kentucky?
Ballard County, KY has the highest drought risk in Kentucky, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 96.4 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes drought risk in Kentucky?
Drought risk captures expected annual losses from prolonged precipitation deficits affecting agriculture, water supply, and ecosystems. High scores cover the western Great Plains, Southwest, and California's Central Valley. Climate change is increasing drought frequency and severity across much of the US, with multi-year droughts becoming more common in the West.