Franklin County, IA: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Franklin County scores at the 14th percentile for flood hazard, rated "Very Low" — among the lowest flood hazard in the country. 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 1.5 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 44 homes FEMA counts inside Franklin County's mapped flood zone, 5 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 11.4% compliance, short of full coverage. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.2% of all residential structures in Franklin County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Where Franklin County ranks
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Franklin County ranks 2734 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 2406 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Franklin County, Iowa is home to about 10,024 people across 581.972 square miles of land.
Checking a specific address in Franklin County
8 of Franklin County's 4,727 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Franklin 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.