How much flood risk does Butler County actually carry?
Butler County lands at the 67.7th 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 3 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.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in Butler County
Out of 600 homes FEMA counts inside Butler County's mapped flood zone, 99 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 16.5% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Butler County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.5% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
How Butler County compares nationally
Butler County sits at rank 1060 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 795 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 69,158 people live in Butler County, Kansas, spread over 1,429.716 square miles.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Butler County
151 of Butler County's 28,169 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Butler 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.