How much flood risk does Cambria County actually carry?
Cambria County lands at the 85.7th 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 1.3 times a year. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Cambria County's flood-insurance compliance gap
15.4% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Cambria County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 293 policies against 1,902 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Cambria County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.6% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
How Cambria County compares nationally
Cambria County sits at rank 474 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 506 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 130,108 people live in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, spread over 687.963 square miles.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Cambria County
357 of Cambria County's 56,704 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 Cambria 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.