Alachua County, FL: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Alachua County scores at the 88.6th percentile for flood hazard, rated "Relatively Moderate" — a middling flood hazard by national standards. The hazard here is driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 1.2 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in Alachua County
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Alachua County's mapped high-risk flood zone (the Special Flood Hazard Area, or SFHA) are legally required to carry an NFIP flood policy. In practice, 18.4% of them do — 744 active policies against 4,050 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 2.5% of all residential structures in Alachua County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Where Alachua County ranks
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Alachua County ranks 374 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 252 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. About 291,782 people live in Alachua County, Florida, spread over 875.668 square miles.
Checking a specific address in Alachua County
2,149 of Alachua County's 84,597 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Alachua County's figures come from
Every figure on this page traces to a named FEMA dataset, documented in the methodology guide. If you're unsure why any of this insurance requirement exists at all, the SFHA explainer covers it from first principles.