How much flood risk does York County actually carry?
York County lands at the 93.3th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Relatively High" territory — well above 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 3.5 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.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in York County
Out of 1,506 homes FEMA counts inside York County's mapped flood zone, 459 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 30.5% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in York County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.5% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
How York County compares nationally
York County sits at rank 226 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 156 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). York County, Pennsylvania is home to about 471,240 people across 904.352 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in York County
674 of York County's 148,164 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 York 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.