Is Polk County, TN in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Polk County's flood hazard at the 42.6th percentile nationally — below the national norm for flood hazard — driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about once every 2 years. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in Polk County
25% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Polk County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 48 policies against 192 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Polk County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.6% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
How Polk County compares nationally
Polk County sits at rank 1866 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1914 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Polk County, Tennessee is home to about 18,338 people across 434.605 square miles of land.
Your street may differ from Polk County's average
56 of Polk County's 9,136 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 Polk 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.