Is Jim Wells County, TX in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Jim Wells County's flood hazard at the 63.3th percentile nationally — below the national norm for flood hazard — driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 1.7 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.
Jim Wells County's flood-insurance compliance gap
19.9% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Jim Wells County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 250 policies against 1,259 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Jim Wells County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 2.9% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Jim Wells County ranks
Jim Wells County sits at rank 1206 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1210 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Jim Wells County, Texas is home to about 38,886 people across 865.176 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Jim Wells County
Across all of Jim Wells County's 12,804 residential structures, 377 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 Jim Wells 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.