Tennessee inland flooding risk
Shelby County has the highest inland flooding risk in Tennessee, scoring 98.7 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded inland flooding events across Tennessee have increased 24% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelby County | 98.7 | Relatively High | 79 |
| 2 | Davidson County | 98.2 | Relatively High | 76 |
| 3 | Hamilton County | 94.9 | Relatively High | 39 |
| 4 | Rutherford County | 93.4 | Relatively High | 31 |
| 5 | Knox County | 92.8 | Relatively Moderate | 62 |
| 6 | Sumner County | 88.6 | Relatively Moderate | 41 |
| 7 | Williamson County | 88.2 | Relatively Moderate | 48 |
| 8 | Montgomery County | 84.5 | Relatively Moderate | 32 |
| 9 | Sevier County | 84.1 | Relatively Moderate | 38 |
| 10 | Wilson County | 82.1 | Relatively Moderate | 40 |
| 11 | Sullivan County | 81.6 | Relatively Moderate | 20 |
| 12 | Anderson County | 77.7 | Relatively Moderate | 11 |
| 13 | Carter County | 77.4 | Relatively Moderate | 16 |
| 14 | Maury County | 74.6 | Relatively Moderate | 45 |
| 15 | Blount County | 74 | Relatively Moderate | 15 |
| 16 | Madison County | 72.6 | Relatively Low | 30 |
| 17 | Loudon County | 71.6 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 18 | Washington County | 71.1 | Relatively Low | 19 |
| 19 | Bedford County | 70.2 | Relatively Low | 14 |
| 20 | Roane County | 69.9 | Relatively Low | 16 |
| 21 | Bradley County | 69.1 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 22 | Cocke County | 68.5 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 23 | Campbell County | 65.7 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 24 | Monroe County | 65.1 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 25 | Hawkins County | 64.7 | Relatively Low | 21 |
| 26 | Greene County | 63.5 | Relatively Low | 25 |
| 27 | Rhea County | 62.7 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 28 | McMinn County | 62.6 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 29 | Marion County | 61.4 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 30 | Giles County | 60.8 | Relatively Low | 15 |
| 31 | Putnam County | 60.2 | Relatively Low | 27 |
| 32 | Cumberland County | 58.4 | Relatively Low | 16 |
| 33 | Franklin County | 58.3 | Relatively Low | 15 |
| 34 | Lincoln County | 57 | Relatively Low | 15 |
| 35 | Warren County | 57 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 36 | Lawrence County | 56.9 | Relatively Low | 62 |
| 37 | Jefferson County | 56.8 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 38 | Coffee County | 56 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 39 | Hamblen County | 54.6 | Relatively Low | 13 |
| 40 | Cheatham County | 54.5 | Relatively Low | 26 |
| 41 | Hardin County | 54.4 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 42 | Tipton County | 53.9 | Relatively Low | 23 |
| 43 | Robertson County | 53.1 | Relatively Low | 26 |
| 44 | Gibson County | 52.9 | Relatively Low | 26 |
| 45 | Claiborne County | 51.7 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 46 | Fayette County | 51.6 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 47 | Marshall County | 49.7 | Relatively Low | 15 |
| 48 | Wayne County | 47.7 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 49 | Johnson County | 47.2 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 50 | Perry County | 47.1 | Relatively Low | 17 |
| 51 | Hickman County | 46.8 | Relatively Low | 25 |
| 52 | Humphreys County | 46 | Relatively Low | 23 |
| 53 | Dickson County | 44.6 | Relatively Low | 31 |
| 54 | White County | 42.7 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 55 | Polk County | 42.6 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 56 | Cannon County | 39.5 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 57 | Henry County | 38.8 | Relatively Low | 21 |
| 58 | Obion County | 38.1 | Relatively Low | 19 |
| 59 | Dyer County | 37.8 | Relatively Low | 15 |
| 60 | Jackson County | 37 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 61 | Sequatchie County | 35.1 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 62 | DeKalb County | 34.5 | Very Low | 3 |
| 63 | Grainger County | 33.6 | Very Low | 4 |
| 64 | Decatur County | 33.5 | Very Low | 6 |
| 65 | McNairy County | 33.3 | Very Low | 5 |
| 66 | Henderson County | 32.8 | Very Low | 8 |
| 67 | Hancock County | 32.7 | Very Low | 3 |
| 68 | Smith County | 31.6 | Very Low | 12 |
| 69 | Macon County | 31.2 | Very Low | 13 |
| 70 | Hardeman County | 30.3 | Very Low | 9 |
| 71 | Grundy County | 29.4 | Very Low | 8 |
| 72 | Scott County | 29.2 | Very Low | 19 |
| 73 | Bledsoe County | 27.9 | Very Low | 11 |
| 74 | Clay County | 27.7 | Very Low | 6 |
| 75 | Overton County | 27.4 | Very Low | 14 |
| 76 | Unicoi County | 27.4 | Very Low | 3 |
| 77 | Carroll County | 27.2 | Very Low | 14 |
| 78 | Union County | 26 | Very Low | 5 |
| 79 | Morgan County | 25.7 | Very Low | 11 |
| 80 | Lauderdale County | 25.2 | Very Low | 2 |
| 81 | Haywood County | 24.9 | Very Low | 12 |
| 82 | Stewart County | 22.8 | Very Low | 21 |
| 83 | Weakley County | 21.9 | Very Low | 18 |
| 84 | Chester County | 21.8 | Very Low | 4 |
| 85 | Fentress County | 21.3 | Very Low | 10 |
| 86 | Meigs County | 21.3 | Very Low | 6 |
| 87 | Benton County | 20.2 | Very Low | 15 |
| 88 | Moore County | 19.2 | Very Low | 10 |
| 89 | Crockett County | 14.1 | Very Low | 22 |
| 90 | Houston County | 14 | Very Low | 7 |
| 91 | Trousdale County | 13.4 | Very Low | 8 |
| 92 | Lewis County | 13.3 | Very Low | 1 |
| 93 | Pickett County | 9.2 | Very Low | 2 |
| 94 | Lake County | 8.8 | Very Low | 3 |
| 95 | Van Buren County | 7.5 | Very Low | 5 |
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 Tennessee:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest inland flooding risk county in Tennessee?
Shelby County, TN has the highest inland flooding risk in Tennessee, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 98.7 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes inland flooding risk in Tennessee?
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.