How much flood risk does Clarke County actually carry?
Clarke County lands at the 70.7th 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 once every 3 years. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Clarke County's flood-insurance compliance gap
27.9% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Clarke County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 77 policies against 276 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Clarke County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.4% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
How Clarke County compares nationally
Clarke County sits at rank 958 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 508 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Clarke County, Georgia is home to about 129,995 people across 119.3 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Clarke County
158 of Clarke County's 35,704 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 Clarke 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.