For tornadoes, Mississippi State’s building-damage rate is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mississippi State gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #6 of 101 in Mississippi State. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%), then tornadoes (22%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Mississippi State faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Mississippi State’s grade
River and rain flooding is 46% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mississippi State, and Mississippi State’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 22%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B #6 of 101 in Mississippi State; lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Mississippi State’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Mississippi State town has higher expected damage than 64% of U.S. towns; within the state, Mississippi State has less expected damage per building than 95% of Mississippi State towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Mississippi State: $790K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mississippi State flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Mississippi State. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Mississippi State isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Oktibbeha County.The storms Mississippi State remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Oktibbeha County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Mississippi State itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Oktibbeha County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Mississippi State and its neighbors
Mississippi State has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Starkville | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Mississippi State faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Mississippi State
Is Mississippi State at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mississippi State has lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #6 of 101 in Mississippi State. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%) and tornadoes (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Mississippi State in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Oktibbeha County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Mississippi State?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mississippi State’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Mississippi State at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (46%), and Mississippi State’s rate for it is lower than 77% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mississippi State.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mississippi State’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.