Hardin County, IL flood risk explained
Flood hazard in Hardin County sits at the 15.5th 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 1.9 times a year. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
Out of 58 homes FEMA counts inside Hardin County's mapped flood zone, 2 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 3.5% compliance, short of full coverage. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.2% of all residential structures in Hardin County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
How Hardin County compares nationally
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Hardin County ranks 2689 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 2919 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Hardin County, Illinois covers 177.39 square miles and counts roughly 3,550 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Hardin County
FEMA counts 2,258 residential structures in Hardin County overall, 5 of them carrying some form of NFIP coverage — but a lender or insurer cares about one parcel, not that county total.
Where Hardin 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.