How much flood risk does Polk County actually carry?
Polk County lands at the 55.2th 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 once every 3 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
Out of 334 homes FEMA counts inside Polk County's mapped flood zone, 32 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 9.6% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Polk County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.2% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Polk County ranks
Polk County sits at rank 1473 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1075 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 45,831 people live in Polk County, Wisconsin, spread over 914.319 square miles.
Checking a specific address in Polk County
39 of Polk County's 21,195 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.