How much flood risk does Albemarle County actually carry?
Albemarle County lands at the 85.1th 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 3.4 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 Albemarle County
Out of 207 homes FEMA counts inside Albemarle County's mapped flood zone, 28 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 13.5% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Albemarle County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.4% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Albemarle County ranks
Albemarle County sits at rank 490 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 544 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 117,313 people live in Albemarle County, Virginia, spread over 720.477 square miles.
Checking a specific address in Albemarle County
Across all of Albemarle County's 38,375 residential structures, 170 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 Albemarle 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.