How much flood risk does Thayer County actually carry?
Thayer County lands at the 22.2th 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 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
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Thayer 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, 4.5% of them do — 12 active policies against 266 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Across all residential structures in Thayer County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.4% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Thayer County against the rest of the country
Thayer County sits at rank 2488 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 2829 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Thayer County, Nebraska is home to about 4,870 people across 573.789 square miles of land.
Your street may differ from Thayer County's average
FEMA counts 4,356 residential structures in Thayer County overall, 17 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 Thayer 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.