How much flood risk does Nelson County actually carry?
Nelson County lands at the 58.2th 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 2.3 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.
Nelson County's flood-insurance compliance gap
Out of 398 homes FEMA counts inside Nelson County's mapped flood zone, 19 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 4.8% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Nelson County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.4% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Nelson County ranks
Nelson County sits at rank 1375 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 2104 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Nelson County, Virginia covers 470.745 square miles and counts roughly 14,766 residents.
Checking a specific address in Nelson County
Across all of Nelson County's 12,062 residential structures, 51 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 Nelson 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.