Washington County, ID flood risk explained
Flood hazard in Washington County sits at the 38.2th 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 2 years. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Washington County's flood-insurance compliance gap
9.3% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Washington County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 50 policies against 540 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 1.1% of all residential structures in Washington County carry flood coverage voluntarily or otherwise — relevant because most NFIP claims nationally come from outside the mapped SFHA.
Washington County against the rest of the country
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Washington County ranks 2008 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 2315 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. About 11,539 people live in Washington County, Idaho, spread over 1,452.855 square miles.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Washington County
54 of Washington County's 5,162 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
Where Washington 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.