How much flood risk does Scott County actually carry?
Scott County lands at the 5.1th 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 1.3 times a year. That's a county-wide figure, not a per-address one — FEMA's parcel maps are a live lookup, not a bulk file.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Scott 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, 6.1% of them do — 13 active policies against 213 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Across all residential structures in Scott County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.8% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Scott County against the rest of the country
Scott County sits at rank 2993 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 2827 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Scott County, Illinois is home to about 4,880 people across 250.79 square miles of land.
Checking a specific address in Scott County
FEMA counts 1,871 residential structures in Scott County overall, 14 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 Scott 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.