How much flood risk does Jackson County actually carry?
Jackson County lands at the 43.9th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Relatively Low" territory — below the national norm for flood hazard — with the hazard driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 2.4 times a year. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Jackson County's flood-insurance compliance gap
9.1% 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: 119 policies against 1,314 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, 1.9% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
How Jackson County compares nationally
Jackson County sits at rank 1825 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1994 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Jackson County, Arkansas is home to about 16,673 people across 633.611 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Jackson County
Across all of Jackson County's 7,206 residential structures, 136 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.