Is Nowata County, OK in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Nowata County's flood hazard at the 29th percentile nationally — among the lowest flood hazard in the country — driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 1.8 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.
Nowata County's flood-insurance compliance gap
7.7% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Nowata County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 15 policies against 194 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Nowata 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.
How Nowata County compares nationally
Nowata County sits at rank 2286 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 2444 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Nowata County, Oklahoma covers 565.817 square miles and counts roughly 9,561 residents.
Checking a specific address in Nowata County
18 of Nowata County's 5,186 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Nowata 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.