Washington County, NE flood risk explained
Flood hazard in Washington County sits at the 27.1th national percentile, among the lowest flood hazard in the country; 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. That's a county-wide figure, not a per-address one — FEMA's parcel maps are a live lookup, not a bulk file.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
11.3% 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: 30 policies against 265 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.4% 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.
Where Washington County ranks
Among the 3144 US counties FEMA scores for flood hazard, Washington County ranks 2340 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 1759 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Washington County, Nebraska covers 389.93 square miles and counts roughly 21,254 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Washington County
39 of Washington County's 10,818 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.