Hancock County, IA flood risk explained
Flood hazard in Hancock County sits at the 21.6th national percentile, among the lowest flood hazard in the country; driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 1.4 times a year. That's a county-wide figure, not a per-address one — FEMA's parcel maps are a live lookup, not a bulk file.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in Hancock County
Out of 20 homes FEMA counts inside Hancock County's mapped flood zone, 1 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 5% compliance, short of full coverage. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.1% of all residential structures in Hancock County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
How Hancock County compares nationally
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Hancock County ranks 2508 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 2373 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Hancock County, Iowa covers 571.005 square miles and counts roughly 10,616 residents.
Checking a specific address in Hancock County
6 of Hancock County's 5,188 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Hancock 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.