How much flood risk does Albany County actually carry?
Albany County lands at the 90.3th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Relatively Moderate" territory — a middling flood hazard by national standards — with the hazard driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 2.8 times a year. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Albany County's flood-insurance compliance gap
Out of 1,121 homes FEMA counts inside Albany County's mapped flood zone, 383 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 34.2% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Albany County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.6% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Albany County ranks
Albany County sits at rank 323 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 233 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Albany County, New York is home to about 319,964 people across 522.888 square miles of land.
Your street may differ from Albany County's average
Across all of Albany County's 95,866 residential structures, 591 carry an NFIP policy today — a county-wide count that still can't tell you one address's own mapped zone.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Albany County's numbers. The guide to what the Special Flood Hazard Area actually means explains why the mandatory-insurance rule exists and who it applies to.