How much flood risk does Buchanan County actually carry?
Buchanan County lands at the 38.6th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Relatively Low" territory — below the national norm for flood hazard — with the hazard driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 2.1 times a year. That's a county-wide figure, not a per-address one — FEMA's parcel maps are a live lookup, not a bulk file.
Buchanan County's flood-insurance compliance gap
Out of 258 homes FEMA counts inside Buchanan County's mapped flood zone, 51 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 19.8% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Buchanan County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.8% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Buchanan County ranks
Buchanan County sits at rank 1993 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1786 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Buchanan County, Iowa is home to about 20,733 people across 571.084 square miles of land.
Your street may differ from Buchanan County's average
FEMA counts 8,309 residential structures in Buchanan County overall, 65 of them carrying some form of NFIP coverage — but a lender or insurer cares about one parcel, not that county total.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Buchanan 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.