Is Northumberland County, VA in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Northumberland County's flood hazard at the 68.4th percentile nationally — a middling flood hazard by national standards — driven by coastal storm surge rather than inland rivers — FEMA's model puts a surge event here at about 3.7 times a year. 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
47.4% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Northumberland County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 156 policies against 329 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Northumberland County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 6.2% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Northumberland County against the rest of the country
Northumberland County sits at rank 1038 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 2261 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 12,397 people live in Northumberland County, Virginia, spread over 191.433 square miles.
Checking a specific address in Northumberland County
FEMA counts 8,412 residential structures in Northumberland County overall, 517 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 Northumberland County's numbers. Because storm surge plays a real role here, the guide to coastal vs. inland flood hazard is worth reading alongside this page.