Is Cherokee County, OK in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Cherokee County's flood hazard at the 77.5th percentile nationally — a middling flood hazard by national standards — driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 3.5 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 618 homes FEMA counts inside Cherokee County's mapped flood zone, 65 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 10.5% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County compares nationally
Cherokee County sits at rank 738 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1025 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 48,729 people live in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, spread over 749.127 square miles.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Cherokee County
FEMA counts 17,079 residential structures in Cherokee County overall, 85 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 Cherokee 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.