---
title: Smyth, VA — natural hazard risk profile & national ranking
source: FEMA National Risk Index (county-level)
sourceUrl: https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/
fips: 51173
---

# Smyth, VA

Virginia · pop. 29,780 · FIPS 51173

**FEMA risk rating: Relatively Low** · dominant hazard: Cold Wave · modeled expected annual loss $15M/yr

These risk dimensions are FEMA/CDC MODELS (a rating, not records of disasters); population is a recorded census figure.

## Where Smyth ranks among 3,232 U.S. counties

Each rank is COMPUTED — the county's modeled score placed within the national distribution. A rank within a model, not within observed disasters.

| Dimension | This county | National rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FEMA risk index | 57.79 | ≈ 58th pct — near the national middle (58th percentile) (national median 50.02, n=3,144) |
| Expected annual loss | $15M | ≈ 5th pct — among the lowest nationally (national median $15M, n=3,232) |
| Social vulnerability | 74.43 | ≈ 74th pct — near the national middle (74th percentile) (national median 50.03, n=3,144) |
| Community resilience | 27.83 | ≈ 28th pct — lower than most counties (28th percentile) (national median 50.02, n=3,144) |

## Realized flood losses in Smyth (RECORDED — NFIP claims)

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid **160** flood-insurance claims totaling **$1M** in Smyth since 1978. The costliest year of loss was **2024** ($648,501 paid).

| Metric | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Total claims paid | $1,145,905 |
| Claims | 160 |
| Average claim | $7,162 |
| Largest single claim | $89,000 |
| Claims since 2000 | 105 |
| In high-risk flood zones (A/V) | 64% |

These are **RECORDED** actual paid NFIP claims (a redacted census from OpenFEMA), not a model — the realized counterpart to the FEMA risk score above. **Scope:** flood-*insurance* claims UNDERCOUNT flooding where owners were uninsured ("what NFIP paid," not "every flood"); county-level totals, not a per-property verdict. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v2 (`src:openfema:nfip-claims-v2:2026`). Verify an address and buy coverage at https://www.floodsmart.gov/.

## What this is — and is NOT (interpretation)

This is FEMA/CDC **modeled** hazard exposure for Smyth, VA and its national rank. It is **not** a verdict on whether Smyth is a good or bad place to live (hazard exposure is not place quality), **not** a per-property or per-address assessment, **not** a prediction of any specific disaster, and **not** insurance advice. For site-specific risk use a per-property assessment; for the model see https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/.

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Structured data (JSON-LD), with each figure's status labeled: `/property/counties/51173.jsonld`