Is Jackson County, AL in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Jackson County's flood hazard at the 78.7th percentile nationally — a middling flood hazard by national standards — 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
10.7% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Jackson County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 96 policies against 895 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Jackson County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.5% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Jackson County against the rest of the country
Jackson County sits at rank 700 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 966 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Jackson County, Alabama covers 1,078.014 square miles and counts roughly 53,780 residents.
Checking a specific address in Jackson County
Across all of Jackson County's 23,650 residential structures, 117 carry an NFIP policy today — a county-wide count that still can't tell you one address's own mapped zone.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Jackson 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.