How much flood risk does Brooks County actually carry?
Brooks County lands at the 18th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Very Low" territory — among the lowest flood hazard in the country — with the hazard driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about once every 2 years. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
Out of 1,516 homes FEMA counts inside Brooks County's mapped flood zone, 73 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 4.8% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Brooks County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 3.3% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Brooks County ranks
Brooks County sits at rank 2617 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 2676 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Brooks County, Texas covers 943.355 square miles and counts roughly 6,740 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Brooks County
Across all of Brooks County's 2,646 residential structures, 88 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 Brooks 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.