Is Lavaca County, TX in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Lavaca County's flood hazard at the 85.8th percentile nationally — a middling flood hazard by national standards — driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 3.6 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Lavaca County's flood-insurance compliance gap
17% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Lavaca County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 84 policies against 495 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Lavaca County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 1.5% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
How Lavaca County compares nationally
Lavaca County sits at rank 472 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1796 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Lavaca County, Texas covers 969.709 square miles and counts roughly 20,605 residents.
Checking a specific address in Lavaca County
FEMA counts 9,488 residential structures in Lavaca County overall, 142 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 Lavaca 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.