Is Des Moines County, IA in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Des Moines County's flood hazard at the 56th percentile nationally — below the national norm for flood hazard — driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 2.9 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Des Moines County's flood-insurance compliance gap
13.2% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Des Moines County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 66 policies against 499 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Des Moines 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 Des Moines County compares nationally
Des Moines County sits at rank 1447 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1222 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Des Moines County, Iowa is home to about 38,411 people across 416.129 square miles of land.
Checking a specific address in Des Moines County
129 of Des Moines County's 21,076 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 Des Moines 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.