Cerro Gordo County, IA: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Cerro Gordo County scores at the 69th percentile for flood hazard, rated "Relatively Low" — below the national norm for flood hazard. 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 2.2 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 417 homes FEMA counts inside Cerro Gordo County's mapped flood zone, 49 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 11.8% compliance, short of full coverage. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.4% of all residential structures in Cerro Gordo County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Where Cerro Gordo County ranks
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Cerro Gordo County ranks 1016 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 1140 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. About 42,493 people live in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, spread over 568.302 square miles.
Your street may differ from Cerro Gordo County's average
FEMA counts 22,743 residential structures in Cerro Gordo County overall, 80 of them carrying some form of NFIP coverage — but a lender or insurer cares about one parcel, not that county total.
Where Cerro Gordo 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.