How much flood risk does Ripley County actually carry?
Ripley County lands at the 53.8th 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 3.2 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Ripley 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, 7.1% of them do — 7 active policies against 99 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Across all residential structures in Ripley County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.1% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Ripley County ranks
Ripley County sits at rank 1513 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1464 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Ripley County, Indiana covers 446.432 square miles and counts roughly 29,214 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Ripley County
11 of Ripley County's 12,741 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 Ripley 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.