Is Hillsborough County, FL in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Hillsborough County's flood hazard at the 97.8th percentile nationally — well above the national norm for flood hazard — split between inland river flooding (about 2.1 times a year) and coastal storm surge (about 3.7 times a year). County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Hillsborough County's flood-insurance compliance gap
Out of 56,828 homes FEMA counts inside Hillsborough County's mapped flood zone, 34,867 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 61.4% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Hillsborough County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 12.1% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
How Hillsborough County compares nationally
Hillsborough County sits at rank 76 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 25 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 1,581,426 people live in Hillsborough County, Florida, spread over 1,022.539 square miles.
Checking a specific address in Hillsborough County
54,179 of Hillsborough County's 448,186 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 Hillsborough County's numbers. Because storm surge plays a real role here, the guide to coastal vs. inland flood hazard is worth reading alongside this page.