Putnam County, FL: flood risk, in FEMA's own numbers
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Putnam County scores at the 77.3th percentile for flood hazard, rated "Relatively Moderate" — a middling flood hazard by national standards. The hazard here is 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. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
Out of 4,247 homes FEMA counts inside Putnam County's mapped flood zone, 847 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 19.9% compliance, short of full coverage. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 2.6% of all residential structures in Putnam County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Putnam County against the rest of the country
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Putnam County ranks 745 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 744 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. About 77,301 people live in Putnam County, Florida, spread over 728.396 square miles.
Your street may differ from Putnam County's average
1,038 of Putnam County's 39,320 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Putnam County's figures come from
Every figure on this page traces to a named FEMA dataset, documented in the methodology guide. If you're unsure why any of this insurance requirement exists at all, the SFHA explainer covers it from first principles.