How much flood risk does Washington County actually carry?
Washington County lands at the 70.9th 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 2.3 times a year. That's a county-wide figure, not a per-address one — FEMA's parcel maps are a live lookup, not a bulk file.
Washington County's flood-insurance compliance gap
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Washington 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, 37.8% of them do — 396 active policies against 1,047 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Across all residential structures in Washington County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 2.3% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Washington County ranks
Washington County sits at rank 954 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 892 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 59,844 people live in Washington County, Vermont, spread over 687.06 square miles.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Washington County
557 of Washington County's 23,905 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 Washington 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.