How much flood risk does Madison County actually carry?
Madison County lands at the 62.8th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Relatively Low" territory — below 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 once every 1 years. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
10.5% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Madison County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 57 policies against 544 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Madison County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.5% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Madison County ranks
Madison County sits at rank 1221 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1303 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Madison County, Nebraska covers 572.612 square miles and counts roughly 35,579 residents.
Your street may differ from Madison County's average
Across all of Madison County's 16,217 residential structures, 81 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 Madison 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.