Butler County, OH: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Butler County scores at the 93th percentile for flood hazard, rated "Relatively Moderate" — a middling flood hazard by national standards. The hazard here is driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 2.6 times a year. 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 1,748 homes FEMA counts inside Butler County's mapped flood zone, 453 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 25.9% compliance, short of full coverage. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.5% of all residential structures in Butler County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Where Butler County ranks
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Butler County ranks 237 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 191 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Butler County, Ohio covers 466.531 square miles and counts roughly 399,542 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Butler County
607 of Butler County's 124,582 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Butler County's figures come from
Every figure on this page traces to a named FEMA dataset, documented in the methodology guide. If you're unsure why any of this insurance requirement exists at all, the SFHA explainer covers it from first principles.