Jackson County, KS: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Jackson County scores at the 27th percentile for flood hazard, rated "Very Low" — among the lowest flood hazard in the country. The hazard here is driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about once every 1 years. That's a county-wide figure, not a per-address one — FEMA's parcel maps are a live lookup, not a bulk file.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
Out of 67 homes FEMA counts inside Jackson County's mapped flood zone, 5 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 7.5% compliance, short of full coverage. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.2% of all residential structures in Jackson County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Where Jackson County ranks
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Jackson County ranks 2344 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 2188 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Jackson County, Kansas covers 656.219 square miles and counts roughly 13,525 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Jackson County
10 of Jackson County's 6,250 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Jackson 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.