Is Rhea County, TN in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Rhea County's flood hazard at the 62.7th 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 1.1 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Rhea County's flood-insurance compliance gap
Out of 755 homes FEMA counts inside Rhea County's mapped flood zone, 90 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 11.9% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Rhea County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.7% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Rhea County against the rest of the country
Rhea County sits at rank 1226 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1319 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Rhea County, Tennessee covers 315.494 square miles and counts roughly 34,759 residents.
Your street may differ from Rhea County's average
106 of Rhea County's 14,680 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 Rhea 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.