How much flood risk does Sumter County actually carry?
Sumter County lands at the 84.8th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Relatively Moderate" territory — a middling flood hazard by national standards — with the hazard driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about once every 5 years. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in Sumter County
38.6% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Sumter County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 958 policies against 2,480 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Sumter County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 4.1% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Sumter County ranks
Sumter County sits at rank 499 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 454 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 154,693 people live in Sumter County, Florida, spread over 557.136 square miles.
Checking a specific address in Sumter County
Across all of Sumter County's 70,279 residential structures, 2,912 carry an NFIP policy today — a county-wide count that still can't tell you one address's own mapped zone.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Sumter 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.