Is Roanoke County, VA in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Roanoke County's flood hazard at the 69.2th 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 1.9 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Roanoke County's flood-insurance compliance gap
Out of 543 homes FEMA counts inside Roanoke County's mapped flood zone, 178 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 32.8% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Roanoke 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.
Where Roanoke County ranks
Roanoke County sits at rank 1007 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 639 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Roanoke County, Virginia covers 250.549 square miles and counts roughly 97,334 residents.
Checking a specific address in Roanoke County
265 of Roanoke County's 35,855 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 Roanoke 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.