How much flood risk does Elbert County actually carry?
Elbert County lands at the 29.9th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Very Low" territory — among the lowest flood hazard in the country — 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 1 years. That's a county-wide figure, not a per-address one — FEMA's parcel maps are a live lookup, not a bulk file.
Elbert County's flood-insurance compliance gap
10.9% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Elbert County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 5 policies against 46 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Elbert County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.2% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Elbert County ranks
Elbert County sits at rank 2260 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1457 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Elbert County, Colorado is home to about 29,382 people across 1,850.086 square miles of land.
Your street may differ from Elbert County's average
17 of Elbert County's 10,545 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 Elbert 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.