Jefferson County, NE Flood Zone & Flood Risk Data
Jefferson County, NE: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Jefferson County scores at the 25th 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 1.3 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in Jefferson County
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Jefferson 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, 3.4% of them do, 3 active policies against 89 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.1% of all residential structures in Jefferson County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise, relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Where Jefferson County ranks
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Jefferson County ranks 2403, 1 being the highest hazard nationally, and 2644 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Jefferson County, Nebraska covers 570.182 square miles and counts roughly 7,136 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Jefferson County
3 of Jefferson County's 5,678 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count, useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Jefferson 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.