Sumter County, AL flood risk explained
Flood hazard in Sumter County sits at the 54.8th national percentile, 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 once every 1 years. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
Out of 450 homes FEMA counts inside Sumter County's mapped flood zone, 26 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 5.8% compliance, short of full coverage. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.6% of all residential structures in Sumter County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Sumter County against the rest of the country
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Sumter County ranks 1487 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 2309 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Sumter County, Alabama covers 903.826 square miles and counts roughly 11,607 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Sumter County
37 of Sumter County's 6,368 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Sumter County's figures come from
Every figure on this page traces to a named FEMA dataset, documented in the methodology guide. If you're unsure why any of this insurance requirement exists at all, the SFHA explainer covers it from first principles.