South Carolina inland flooding risk
Greenville County has the highest inland flooding risk in South Carolina, scoring 96 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded inland flooding events across South Carolina have increased 27% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greenville County | 96 | Relatively High | 18 |
| 2 | Richland County | 94.6 | Relatively High | 135 |
| 3 | Spartanburg County | 92.7 | Relatively Moderate | 15 |
| 4 | Horry County | 92 | Relatively Moderate | 72 |
| 5 | Lexington County | 90.6 | Relatively Moderate | 42 |
| 6 | York County | 90.2 | Relatively Moderate | 19 |
| 7 | Charleston County | 89.9 | Relatively Moderate | 99 |
| 8 | Anderson County | 88.1 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 9 | Aiken County | 84.4 | Relatively Moderate | 14 |
| 10 | Pickens County | 84 | Relatively Moderate | 8 |
| 11 | Florence County | 82.6 | Relatively Moderate | 23 |
| 12 | Lancaster County | 81.3 | Relatively Moderate | 34 |
| 13 | Oconee County | 81.1 | Relatively Moderate | 8 |
| 14 | Beaufort County | 80.8 | Relatively Moderate | 19 |
| 15 | Berkeley County | 80.7 | Relatively Moderate | 18 |
| 16 | Dorchester County | 78.7 | Relatively Moderate | 31 |
| 17 | Sumter County | 76.3 | Relatively Moderate | 25 |
| 18 | Georgetown County | 76.1 | Relatively Moderate | 20 |
| 19 | Orangeburg County | 75.8 | Relatively Moderate | 60 |
| 20 | Cherokee County | 72.5 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 21 | Laurens County | 71.9 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 22 | Greenwood County | 66.2 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 23 | Chesterfield County | 65.8 | Relatively Low | 24 |
| 24 | Kershaw County | 64.4 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 25 | Darlington County | 64.2 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 26 | Newberry County | 62.9 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 27 | Dillon County | 61.5 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 28 | Williamsburg County | 59.8 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 29 | Colleton County | 56.4 | Relatively Low | 33 |
| 30 | Marion County | 55.5 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 31 | Union County | 53.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 32 | Clarendon County | 50.2 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 33 | Saluda County | 46.6 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 34 | Fairfield County | 42.6 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 35 | Chester County | 41.7 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 36 | Marlboro County | 41 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 37 | Abbeville County | 37.6 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 38 | Barnwell County | 35 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 39 | Jasper County | 34.8 | Very Low | 11 |
| 40 | Hampton County | 34.7 | Very Low | 7 |
| 41 | Edgefield County | 31.3 | Very Low | 7 |
| 42 | Bamberg County | 20.6 | Very Low | 7 |
| 43 | Calhoun County | 19.4 | Very Low | 5 |
| 44 | Lee County | 19.4 | Very Low | 1 |
| 45 | McCormick County | 16.8 | Very Low | 3 |
| 46 | Allendale County | 14.5 | Very Low | 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.
Inland Flooding risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in South Carolina:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest inland flooding risk county in South Carolina?
Greenville County, SC has the highest inland flooding risk in South Carolina, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 96 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes inland flooding risk in South Carolina?
Inland flooding covers riverine and surface (pluvial) flooding — the most common and costly natural disaster type in the US. High scores appear across river floodplains in the Midwest, South, and Mid-Atlantic, where legacy development in flood-prone areas and aging stormwater infrastructure concentrate risk.