How much flood risk does Suwannee County actually carry?
Suwannee County lands at the 62.9th 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 once every 2 years. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Suwannee County's flood-insurance compliance gap
20.1% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Suwannee County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 298 policies against 1,486 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Suwannee County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 2.1% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Suwannee County ranks
Suwannee County sits at rank 1217 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1043 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 47,536 people live in Suwannee County, Florida, spread over 688.586 square miles.
Your street may differ from Suwannee County's average
436 of Suwannee County's 20,585 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 Suwannee 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.