How much flood risk does Lackawanna County actually carry?
Lackawanna County lands at the 94.1th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Relatively High" territory — well above 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 1.7 times a year. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
28.7% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Lackawanna County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 763 policies against 2,657 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Lackawanna County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 1.2% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
How Lackawanna County compares nationally
Lackawanna County sits at rank 202 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 329 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania is home to about 216,859 people across 458.888 square miles of land.
Your street may differ from Lackawanna County's average
FEMA counts 74,733 residential structures in Lackawanna County overall, 878 of them carrying some form of NFIP coverage — but a lender or insurer cares about one parcel, not that county total.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Lackawanna 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.