James City County, VA: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, James City County scores at the 60.8th percentile for flood hazard, rated "Relatively Low" — below the national norm for flood hazard. The hazard here is split between inland river flooding (about once every 2 years) and coastal storm surge (about 3.7 times a year). That's a county-wide figure, not a per-address one — FEMA's parcel maps are a live lookup, not a bulk file.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in James City County
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside James City County's mapped high-risk flood zone (the Special Flood Hazard Area, or SFHA) are legally required to carry an NFIP flood policy. In practice, 75.1% of them do — 347 active policies against 462 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 2.8% of all residential structures in James City County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Where James City County ranks
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, James City County ranks 1289 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 707 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. James City County, Virginia covers 142.298 square miles and counts roughly 82,797 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in James City County
853 of James City County's 30,424 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where James City County's figures come from
Every figure on this page traces to a named FEMA dataset, documented in the methodology guide. James City County's coastal exposure is covered in the coastal vs. inland flood risk guide, including how storm surge risk differs from river flooding.