Washington County, VA flood risk explained
Flood hazard in Washington County sits at the 63.5th 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 1 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
Out of 386 homes FEMA counts inside Washington County's mapped flood zone, 84 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 21.8% compliance, short of full coverage. Looking beyond the mandated zone, 0.5% 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 1200 — 1 being the highest hazard nationally — and 956 by population among all 3144 counties covered here, where 1 is the largest. Washington County, Virginia is home to about 54,098 people across 561.193 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Washington County
122 of Washington County's 24,899 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.