How much flood risk does Ransom County actually carry?
Ransom County lands at the 14.3th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Very Low" territory — among the lowest flood hazard in the country — with the hazard driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 1.4 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Ransom County's flood-insurance compliance gap
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Ransom County's mapped high-risk flood zone (the Special Flood Hazard Area, or SFHA) are legally required to carry an NFIP flood policy. In practice, 7.5% of them do — 13 active policies against 174 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Across all residential structures in Ransom County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 1.2% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Ransom County against the rest of the country
Ransom County sits at rank 2725 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 2768 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 5,590 people live in Ransom County, North Dakota, spread over 862.472 square miles.
Your street may differ from Ransom County's average
FEMA counts 2,092 residential structures in Ransom County overall, 26 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 Ransom 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.